SustainBaltic (CB354) Developing sustainable tourism in Satakunta’s coastal zone – from the perspective of land use planning English version 5.11.2018 This plan was prepared as a part of SustainBaltic project (ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal Estonian University of Applied Sciences (Eesti Maaülikool) and the University of Tallinn and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region, CB354). Project enhances (Tallinna Ülikool). SustainBaltic is funded by EU Interreg Central Baltic Programme the share of the managed coastal networks in the Central Baltic area by the cross-border 2014−2020. The overall budget of the project is 1.3 million Euros, of which 1.023.000 preparation of the ICZM plans for four case areas in Estonia and Finland. The lead partner Euros is granted via European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). updated completed in the project is the Department of Geography and Geology in the University on Turku. ICZM plans can be downloaded from the websites of the partner organizations and at the Other project partners are Finnish Environmental Institute, Regional Council of Satakunta, http://www.utu.fi/SustainBaltic. In its Blue Growth Strategy (European Commission, 2012), the EU highlights Networks in the Baltic Region, CB354), funded by the Interreg Central Baltic coastal and maritime tourism as one of the key sectors that still hold significant 2014–2020 programme, with the goal of promoting the sustainable use of the development potential, both in terms of economic growth and the sustainable coastal areas of the northern Baltic Sea region. As part of this project, a wide- use of marine areas. The main benefits of sustainable tourism include the scale plan promoting the development of coastal and maritime tourism in the industry’s heavy focus on services, high employment rate and the number of jobs Bothnian Sea coastal zone was implemented. The purpose of the plan is to study created by the industry in tourist areas, which boost the vitality of sparsely- the possibilities offered by land use planning in order to improve the populated regions, in particular, and enable the retention of human activities in preconditions for tourism and the enhancement of regional cooperation the coastal and archipelago zones, alongside the traditional industries (e.g. connected to tourism. The Coastal Zone Plan is realising the goals set in agriculture and fishing). Satakunta’s Regional Strategy of promoting tourism and the zone’s recreational On Satakunta’s coast, the development of tourism combines the region’s clean use. The plan provides a basis for updating the comprehensive regional land use environment, vitality and objectives regarding the overall regional structure. On plan and conducting marine spatial planning in Satakunta’s coastal zone. the other hand, achieving these objectives requires extensive cooperation The Coastal Zone Plan was created by the Regional Council of Satakunta, the between various authorities, municipalities and local operators in areas such as University of Turku’s Department of Geography and Geology and the Finnish land use planning, water resources management, management of conservation Environment Institute. Project Planner Asko Ijäs M.Sc. from the Regional Council areas and cultural environments, and basic service production. The Integrated of Satakunta served as the author of the plan. Report was translated to English by Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plans highlight the importance of taking a Multidoc translation services/Grano Ltd. holistic approach to the coastal zone planning and having different authorities working in cooperation. In 2016–2018, the Regional Council of Satakunta took part in the SustainBaltic project (ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological 1. Introduction 2. The preconditions for the development of coastal and maritime tourism in Satakunta 3. The natural and cultural values of Satakunta’s coastal zone 4. Human activity in Satakunta’s coastal zone 5. The regional structure of tourism in Satakunta’s coastal zone 6. The reconciliation needs regarding land use and the challenges pertaining to blue growth 7. The development goals of coastal and maritime tourism in Satakunta 8. The implementation and monitoring of the plan Background information and reference material: 1. Leikola N., Kiviluoto S., Nurmi M., Syrjänen K., Kostamo K., Mononen L. & Vihervaara P. 2018: Työraportti SustainBaltic hankkeen vaiheesta A.T1.1 “Integrating obtainable environmental and human activity data into planning processes by GIS analysis tools”. Suomen Ympäristökeskus SYKE. 40 s. 2. Nordström P., Fagerholm N., Puttonen I., Ijäs A., Savola A. & Hietala R. 2018: Satakunnan rannikon luontomatkailu- ja virkistyskäyttökysely 2018. Turun yliopisto, Maantieteen ja geologian laitos. 33 s. Photo: Asko Ijäs Coastal zones are located in the peripheral zones between land and marine areas Tourism as an industry is connected to the region’s general pull factors, which and hold great significance for both nature conservation and the local economy. include the clean water of the Bothnian Sea, diverse natural and cultural values, The diversity of operations run in a coastal zone and the limited amount of land the marine landscape and functional basic services. The conditions and available available create the need to find a balance between varying values and land-use services in the area affect how long tourists will want to stay in the region and to requirements. The ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) is a land use what extent they will use the services provided by local businesses. On the other planning tool that tries to factor in all the values and utilisation needs regarding hand, even though the region’s attractiveness is tied to the good condition of its coastal zones (e.g. businesses, nature conservation and recreational use) in a environment, an increase in the number of tourists and the development of comprehensive way and find ways to balance these differing requirements tourism services may have a negative effect on the region’s current state, due to sustainably. disruptions caused by human activity, littering, erosion or uncontrolled Satakunta’s Regional Strategy (2018–2021) sets notable growth objectives, construction of new buildings, among other things (United Nations Environment especially when it comes to nature-based tourism and the experience economy. Programme, UNEP, 2009). The coast and archipelago of the Bothnian Sea form a diverse whole, which The extensive nature of tourism also poses its own challenges for the functions as a pull factor, thanks to its clean sea water, diverse archipelago nature development of this sector. In addition to the traditional land use planning, the and culture-historical values. However, despite the resources focused on the field development of tourism also requires a more strategic approach, in which land in recent years, the tourism industry remains fragmented in the Bothnian Sea use is considered from the perspective of both the existing tourism potential and area. Therefore, strengthening cooperation in this field and creating a shared the environmental impact caused by tourism. In coastal zones, the ICZM planning operating environment have been designated as the main themes in the is often thought of as a useful tool, especially for developing tourism, because its development of tourism in Satakunta (Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, main goal is to find a balance between different forms of land use and increase SAMK 2016, the Regional Council of Satakunta 2018). cooperation between authorities and local tourism businesses (UNEP 2009). This plan discusses the development of Satakunta’s coastal and maritime tourism in relation to the region’s land use and the ICZM principles. The plan describes the current situation of tourism in the coastal zone of Satakunta and discusses the available development possibilities from the perspective of general land use in the region and the constraints it sets. In addition to this, the plan highlights the potential environmental impacts that may result from tourism and that should be considered when developing the tourism industry. The plan’s structure: Chapter 2 describes the role of coastal zone planning in the Finnish land use planning system and how these planning mechanisms can be utilised in the development of tourism and the integration of the industry into general land use planning. Chapters 3–4 give a general description of the natural and cultural values and the current land use in Satakunta’s coastal zone using existing statistics and geographic data. Chapters 5–6 evaluate the current status of Satakunta’s coastal and maritime tourism, the sector’s main pull factors and constraints, which have an effect on the development of this industry. A set measures were determined based on this evaluation, and these measures should be utilised when developing tourism in Satakunta’s coastal zone, while not forgetting the goals of sustainable development. The measures and their monitoring have been described in Chapters 7 and 8. Photo: Asko Ijäs The Coastal Zone Plan was prepared in cooperation between the Regional Council for regional planning in Satakunta on 6 March and 8 May 2018). In addition, of Satakunta, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE and the University of Turku’s feedback was also requested regarding the plan’s content and the developmental Department of Geography and Geology. The planning process consisted of four goals highlighted in the plan during the meetings with these