Given the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Protect Baltic aims to evaluate and optimise the existing network of marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea and thus makes a positive contribution to biodiversity and the protection of marine ecosystems. Together with other institutes the Jade University of Applied Sciences investigates the Baltic Sea-wide network of protected areas regarding ecological coherence criteria including the elaboration of underlying spatial modelling tasks. A coherent network of marine protected areas is one basis for both effective management of spatial protection measures and good governance in the Baltic Sea.
A total of 17 partner institutes from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Germany are involved in the project. The project is funded by the HORIZON programme of the European Union. The project will run from 2023 to 2028.