The 1st Workshop of Stakeholders’ Engagement within the Macaronesian Maritime Spatial Planning Project (MarSP) was held in the Azores archipelago on the 17th May. This Workshop was organized in three islands simultaneously: São Miguel (Lagoa), Faial (Horta) e Terceira (Angra do Heroísmo).

The workshop represented the moment of divulgation of the MarSP Project in the Azores Region, which as the goal of supporting the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Macaronesia Region. With this Workshop, MarSP aims to support the stakeholder engagement in the MSP process in the Azores.

The 1st Workshop of Stakeholders’ Engagement had also the objective of launching the MSP process in the Azorean Region, in a transparent and broad way, with the engagement of the Azorean society. From the workshop, a Vision for the MSP in the Azores Region was defined, gaps and facilitating conditions of the process, as well as potential and conflict areas considering the different maritime uses and coastal activities, were identified. The Vision defined was: “By 2030, the MSP promotes and consolidates a geostrategic position of the Azorean Region. The Azorean Sea fulfils its potential for socio-economic development, good environmental status, fruition and safeguarding of natural values, in an adaptive and participatory way.”

The report with the results of the workshop will be delivered by the end of June and, the next Stakeholders’ Engagement workshop, within the MarSP project, is already scheduled to January 2019.

The MarSP Project, coordinated by the Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT), includes as partner, the MSP competent authority in the Azores, Direção Regional ds Asuntos do Mar (DRAM),  counting with the expertise on MSP of the University of the Azores.