The project "Ecosystem-based marine planning in Køge Bay" will map the bay's animals, plants and nature and develop tools and recommendations that can be used when Denmark's Marine Plan is to be discussed in 2027.
The initiative is led by the Køge Bay Alliance, which consists of the municipalities of Stevns, Køge, Solrød, Greve, Ishøj, Vallensbæk and Brøndby, together with the think tank Hav. The mapping costs 3.8 million kroner and will run from 1 May 2026 and for two years.
According to Køge Mayor Ken Kristensen (V), who speaks on behalf of the Køge Bay Alliance, the project is about changing the perspective in marine planning.
- Until now, we humans have looked at the bay and decided where there should be room for wind turbines, dredging, fishing or shipping lanes. Now we are starting from scratch and looking at the bay as nature. What does it need for Køge Bugt to be in good condition again?, he says.
According to the project, Køge Bugt is both one of Denmark's most polluted and best mapped marine areas. The bay is under pressure from, among other things, nutrient discharges, raw material extraction, environmentally hazardous substances, as well as construction and infrastructure. At the same time, the area does not meet national and European environmental goals.
Should be part of the political negotiations
The method involves gathering knowledge about both the activities that affect the sea and the nature found in the area. This could be, for example, discharges, construction and raw material extraction on the one hand and fish, birds and eelgrass on the other. When the information is superimposed on each other, it should become clearer where human activities affect vulnerable nature and where there is a need for better protection or restoration.
The mapping should, among other things, form the basis for scenarios for how the bay can develop towards 2050, and for recommendations for Denmark's Marine Plan in 2027. Here, the municipalities along the bay want the results to be included in the political negotiations.
Ken Kristensen emphasizes that the work remains important, even though parts of Køge Bugt have recently been designated as a marine nature national park.
- The marine environment in the bay is under pressure, and therefore the bay needs all the protection we can provide. With this project, we are paving the way for us in Denmark to plan the sea in the future based on what nature and biodiversity can withstand, he says.
Local involvement is important
A central part of the project is local involvement. Citizens, green organizations, businesses and authorities will contribute through workshops, follow-up groups and activities at the Havets Folkemøde in both 2026 and 2027.
According to Liselotte Hohwy Stokholm, CEO of Tænketanken Hav, local support is crucial.
- The close local support with municipalities, citizens and stakeholders is absolutely central to the success of this project, because this is where knowledge, experience and consideration come together. It creates both better solutions and greater shared ownership for the future of the ocean, she says.
The project is also intended as the first step towards a new national practice for marine planning. The experiences from Køge Bugt should later be transferable to other Danish marine areas such as the Little Belt, the Limfjord and the Great Belt.
Seabreak is financing the majority of the project with 3.1 million kroner, while the Køge Bugt Alliancen is contributing 185,000 kroner and employee hours. In addition, NIVA Denmark, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Democracy X and Denmark's Environmental Portal are participating, among others.
SRS
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
