Towards a strategy for offshore installations to enhance the environmental status of coastal seas: Multi-use concepts for ecosystem restoration

In European coastal and shelf seas, concurrent and sometimes conflicting economic and conservation needs call for innovative spatial management approaches that take account of new use concepts. In highly degraded environments, large areas contemplated for offshore wind farm (OWF) development could be actively used for different ecosystem enhancement concepts such as habitat restoration or the establishment of artificial reefs as part of conventional scour protection systems. Simultaneously, different uses, such as extractive aquaculture or other offshore renewable energy could be located within OWFs to more efficiently use limited marine space while also maximizing the benefit of a site. However, to date the environmental and spatial enhancement potential of such multi-use approaches is rarely considered in OWF planning and development. One concern is that stronger focus on such enhancement approaches could lead to reduced efforts in other urgent nature protection needs such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). We argue that co-designed by knowledgeable stakeholders, and effectively implemented, appropriate forms of multi-use concepts could help with impact reduction of OWF areas and the improvement of the already floundering ecosystem status of coastal and shelf seas, all while maintaining urgently needed conservation schemes.