Exciting news from MESSAGE members (opens in a new window)Dr. Tomas Buitendijk and (opens in a new window)Assoc. Prof. Geertje Schuitema who are part of the Horizon Europe-funded “Blue4All” project ((opens in a new window)https://www.blue4all.eu/).
Alongside other researchers working on the Horizon Europe “Blue4All” project, they have developed a new framework for understanding and categorising key sociogovernance processes in the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Their work was published this month in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management and a science brief with clear guidance for policymakers is also available.
The published work can be found via this (opens in a new window)link; the science brief is available (opens in a new window)here, on the Blue4All website.
According to European regulations, 30% of Ireland’s marine space must be legally protected by 2030. To achieve this, the project seeks solutions to co-create effective, efficient, and resilient Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Collaboration with stakeholders from industry, government and civil society is crucial to achieve this goal. As part of Blue4All, Dr. Buitendijk and Assoc. Prof. Schuitema have co-authored a new framework that helps policymakers and other key stakeholders understand and categorise different interlinked social and governance processes that occur in the MPA context.
The new publication by Buitendijk et al. (2025) emphasises the three pillars of “Knowledge & Understanding”, “Engagement & Participation”, and “Policies & Intervention” and explains how these pillars are linked by characteristic processes that tend to be primarily top-down (e.g., government-led) or bottom-up (community-led) in character. By clearly identifying the key pillars and processes that underpin stakeholder engagement within MPAs, the new framework offers new ways to resolve management challenges and promote better governance in protected areas.
