Dogger Bank is one of two test cases in the EU funded project MASPNOSE that aims to facilitate cross-border cooperation on ecosystem-based marine spatial plans
The Southern North Sea is under considerable pressure from intense human activities and various uses such as shipping routes, fisheries, nature conservation, subsea cables and off shore wind farms that may have impacts across boundaries. As a consequence, Maritime or Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is of increasing importance.
Several EU member states are working on spatial plans for their part of the North Sea. Germany, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands are already implementing MSP systems that cover their territorial seas and exclusive economic zones. A similar approach is under way in the UK and Sweden, while in other Member States, including Denmark, formal MSP processes are still in early stages of development.
However, most maritime spatial planning is carried out on a national level and largely ignores the possible benefits of cross-border cooperation. Joining forces with neighboring countries could prove to be an efficient way forward.
A first step in this direction is the EU’s Preparatory Action on Maritime Spatial Planning in the North East Atlantic-project (MASPNOSE) that brings together spatial planning practitioners, stakeholders and researchers in order to deal with potential bottlenecks.
Case studies: Thornton and Dogger Bank
The project focuses on the territorial waters of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark through two case studies areas: Thornton Bank,40 km west of Belgiu,and Dogger Bank, a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 km off the east coast of England.
The Dogger Bank is a productive fishing bank for cod and heering and an important nursing ground for sand eel. The area is projected to become the location of a future wind farm and has also been suggested as a future Marine Nature Reserve because of a high primary production of phytoplankton throughout the year.
The MASPNOSE project runs for 18 months(December 2010-May 2012) and the next project workshop is to take place at the end of August in the Netherlands.
For further information, please contact Thomas Kirk Sørensen, DTU Aqua or visit the MASPNOSE website.
MASPNOSE website:
https://www.surfgroepen.nl/sites/CMP/maspnose/default.aspx
MASPNOSE brochure:
https://www.surfgroepen.nl/sites/CMP/maspnose/Documents/Folder%20Maspnose-def-1.pdf