Dr. Miguel Inácio, a researcher at the Environmental Management Laboratory of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), recently participated in two important Baltic Sea events in Riga, Latvia, contributing to discussions on maritime spatial planning and marine ecosystem services.
Observing the 5th Baltic MSP Forum: A Window into Regional Maritime Planning
On 11-12 November, Dr. M. Inácio attended the 5th Baltic Maritime Spatial Planning Forum (Baltic MSP Forum). While his role was that of a participant and observer, he described the experience as highly insightful. “It was a very enriching experience to understand the current status of MSP implementation in the Baltic Sea, as well as the challenges and gaps,” he said.
The Forum, held under the theme “Navigate Planning Through Changes,” is the principal regional event focused on maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea. This year’s edition, organised in close connection with the Baltic Sea2Land project, also served as its final conference. The discussions centred on strengthening cross-country cooperation and improving the integration of maritime spatial planning with coastal zone management.
Active Contribution at the BESTmarine Workshop
Following the Forum, Dr. Miguel Inácio took on a more active role at the “BESTmarine Workshop on ecosystem services integration into management,” held on 12-13 November and organised by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with the Baltic Environmental Forum – Latvia. The workshop aimed to bring together experts, managers, and planners from the Baltic Sea region and beyond to enhance the use of ecosystem service data in marine policy, management, and accounting .
Dr. M. Inácio was invited to deliver a presentation titled, “Uptake of Marine Ecosystem Service Assessment Outputs in Ecosystem Accounting,” sharing Lithuania’s experience through the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts – Ecosystem Accounting in Lithuania (SEEAL) project (S-PD-24-18). “It was very interesting and inspiring to participate in the BESTmarine Workshop and contribute to advancing the topic of marine ecosystem services in the Baltic Sea. A great opportunity to strengthen the network and expand it further, with the goal of bringing together the scientific community of Baltic Sea ecosystem services research,” he noted.
Dr. M. Inácio’s participation underscores MRU’s commitment to fostering regional collaboration and knowledge exchange in environmental management, maritime planning, and ecosystem service research.
