Project Description

An increasingly consolidated current of thought proposes the need to reverse the dichotomous and artificial vision that divides land and sea, to approach a vision of a land-sea continuum that allows for a more sustainable planning and management of human relations with the sea, to contain the growing pressures and reverse the accelerated process of deterioration of its marine-coastal ecosystems.

In this context, Marine Spatial Planning emerges as a key mechanism for more effective planning and management of marine space. However, given that most of the development and use that takes place at sea also has a component or impact on land and vice versa, both Directive 2014/89/EU, which establishes the framework for MSP in the EU, and various authors, raise the need to take Land-sea interactions (LSI) into account in planning and to achieve a coherent and articulated frame between land and marine planning.

The body of literature on MSP and LSI, however, exhibits a significant research gap between theory and practice, which requires LSI to be analysed empirically in specific geographical, institutional, and governance contexts.

Consequently, taking Portugal as a case study, this PhD Thesis seeks to answer the following three research questions: 1) In what conditions is the Spatial Planning System and Marine Spatial Planning articulated in Portugal, 2) What are the key LSIs in Portugal and how are they taken into account in Marine Spatial Planning and Spatial Planning? 3) To what extent can the consideration of LSI contribute to the articulation between the two systems?

From this perspective, the main objective of this research is i) To analyse the articulation of the planning system and marine spatial planning in Portugal. In addition, the specific objectives are: ii) To analyse from a critical perspective the institutional and legal framework of the spatial planning system and the MSP in Portugal, as well as its governance mechanisms, iii) Identify the key LSI present in the northern region of Portugal, specifically those associated with uses and activities, iv) Recognise how the key LSI associated with uses and activities are considered in Marine Spatial Planning and Spatial Planning in Portugal, v) Identify and propose possible adjustments to the Planning System in both marine and terrestrial domains,

In order to fulfil the objectives, a methodology consisting of three stages and their respective sub-stages is proposed, which is expected to answer the research questions and contribute to the development of existing methodological frameworks on how to identify LSI and how to integrate them into land and marine spatial planning.

Research team 

• Nicolás Artaza
• Paulo Conceição (supervisor)

Financial Support

• FCT: 2022.11736.BD

Time Frame

• Started in 2022