Implementation challenges of maritime spatial planning (MSP) in Greece under a place-based approach

In the era of blue growth, maritime spatial planning (MSP)—especially MSP using a place-based approach—is absolutely essential if the sustainable management of oceans and seas is to be achieved. This paper therefore presents relevant lessons learnt from a study of a pilot marine area of Greece (the Inner Ionian Sea—Corinthian Gulf region). The study showed that, in order to develop and perform efficient place-based MSP in Greece, it is necessary to strengthen cross-border cooperation among countries that share the eastern Mediterranean Sea, to effectively engage the maritime regime and stakeholders in governance schemes, to collect and manage marine geospatial data, and to have a good grasp of the tools and methodologies that can be used in MSP. Moreover, the present paper identifies suitable criteria for defining appropriate MSP management units, considering ecosystem boundaries, management boundaries, geopolitical boundaries, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, and land–sea interactions. The process of identifying the optimal MSP management units is underway in Greece; this step is crucial to performing place-based MSP and, ultimately, MSP utilizing the ecosystem-based approach.