As offshore wind, aquaculture, marine conservation, fisheries, and other ocean uses compete for marine space, policymakers and developers face growing challenges in balancing environmental, economic, and social objectives. This report presents the MARCO framework, a practical approach to marine spatial planning that combines systems thinking, spatial analysis, and stakeholder engagement to explore future scenarios, identify trade-offs, and support coexistence in the long term. Through case studies from the North Sea and Norwegian waters, it demonstrates how better dialogue and shared understanding can help build trust and improve planning outcomes.
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Across Europe and beyond, growing ambitions for offshore wind development, marine conservation, and new ocean industries are increasing pressure on marine space. Traditional planning approaches often struggle to capture the complex interactions between sectors, cumulative environmental impacts, and the long-term dynamics of socio-ecological systems. As a result, policymakers, regulators, developers, and ocean users need new ways to understand future challenges and identify opportunities for coexistence.
This report presents the MARCO (MARine CO-existence scenario building) framework, developed through a collaboration between DNV, industry partners, fisheries representatives, and marine researchers. The framework combines scenario planning, system dynamics modelling, GIS-based spatial analysis, and participatory stakeholder processes to support informed dialogue and decision-making. Rather than treating planning as a purely technical exercise, MARCO recognizes that successful coexistence depends on building shared understanding, transparency, and trust among stakeholders.
The report illustrates the framework through four case studies examining interactions between offshore wind, fisheries, marine protected areas, underwater radiated noise, and offshore aquaculture. Together, these examples demonstrate how scenario-based approaches can help stakeholders understand potential future developments, explore synergies and conflicts, and identify pathways towards sustainable ocean use. While the case studies focus on Northern Europe, the methods and lessons are relevant wherever multiple marine interests must coexist in increasingly complex and challenged ocean environments.
Download the report to learn how scenario-based planning and stakeholder-centred approaches can help build trust, improve coexistence, and support more holistic and sustainable marine spatial planning.