MSP4BIO project started with an analysis of current knowledge and data available for the management of MPAs and identification of key gaps, in parallel with the establishment of the site specific Communities of Practice (CoPs), which participated in shaping of the knowledge and data gaps and site specific needs (D5.1). The project then worked on upgrading the criteria for biodiversity conservation and socio-economic prioritisation using the best ecological knowledge, including ecosystem services, climate change impacts, connectivity, and integrity across coastal, offshore, and deep-sea environments (D3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1). The improved knowledge and criteria are being used to fine-tune decision support tools (DSTs) for better use in public and private decision-making (D3.4). This led to the development of the ESE management framework, which integrates ecological and socio-economic dimensions and policy solutions for coherent policy implementation and improved mainstreaming of biodiversity. The initial ESE includes ecological and socio-economic criteria, methods such as the participatory trade-offs, guidelines for blue economy sectors, the ecological DSTs, integrating database, policy solutions, and examples of ESE applications in the test sites. The site specific applications were validated, leading to site-specific solutions co-developed together with local Communities of Practice, maximising acceptance and uptake. The MSP4BIO project engaged stakeholders through different formats, that also included Science-Policy Dialogues designed to provide feedback to the suggested tools and methods from a policy coherence perspective and to co-develop policy-specific solutions and briefs. Finally, the project ensured the uptake of the ESE management framework through a multitude of dissemination and exploitation activities.
