Coastal tourism is the most important economic sector of some regions especially in the south-west. Two oil platforms, gas pipelines, various cables, and mineral extraction complete the picture [17]. In light of the European “20–20–20” climate and energy targets

[20] and of partly even more ambitious national renewable energy strategies [21], [22] and [23 the construction of offshore wind farms is currently planned especially but not only for southern and western parts of the Baltic Sea. The environmental sensitivity of the region together with strong anthropogenic pressures has been recognized by bordering coastal countries for many decades. As a result the intergovernmental Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) was founded in 1980 (based on the Helsinki Convention from 1974, later replaced by the 1992 convention). HELCOM strives for sustainable Compound C molecular weight management of the Baltic Sea and has been strong in assembling and disseminating spatial data related to the area. As a consequence data availability is relatively good Venetoclax price in comparison to other European seas. So far, MSP in the Baltic Sea has been formally implemented only by Germany. Currently Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden are preparing for the introduction of

marine planning. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, and Russia have no specific legal framework on MSP, but various sectorial regulations rule maritime activities in these countries. The joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group [24] pursues the goal to ensure cooperation among the Baltic Sea Region countries for coherent regional MSP processes in the Baltic Sea. Among others, this includes

the search for a common understanding for a Spatial Vision for the Baltic Sea. The region is therefore well placed to develop a data informed typology of marine regions and also to benefit from its production. Chorioepithelioma In formulating a suitable methodology for the development of an MSP related spatial typology of the sea, an initial conceptualization of the purpose and scope of such a typology was undertaken. Informed by the ecosystem approach [25] it was considered that such a typology should be able to support MSP ambitions to: • promote integrated planning and management of human activities; With this in mind it was considered that the typology should draw together as comprehensively as possible information related to the spatial distribution of anthropogenic uses and claims on the sea itself, environmental impacts associated with human activity and indicators of land based pressures on the marine environment such as population and maritime employment. In order to formulate a spatial typology for the Baltic Sea a stepped approach was adopted building upwards from single data sets to produce an overall synthesis of the data and a final marine region typology map. The steps were as follows: 1.