Timelines, expected outcomes and management procedures of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. A discussion of spatial and temporal scales in the management and adaptation to changing climate.

Existing and emerging EU legislation requires member states to adopt the Ecosystem Approach (EA) for the management of their seas and to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020. The EA is an holistic approach to management and requires the integrated management of ecosystems, human beings, their governance structures and institutions. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU 2008) also stresses the importance of adaptive management. The effective practice of the EA in the Baltic Sea will require integration of management of fish stocks with other elements of environmental management. The process of setting achievable environmental targets must also account for highly uncertain changes to the physical and biological environment driven by climate.