How o suppo communi ies in he long- e m sus ainabili y ansi ion:
The ailo ed empowe men p og am
Diana Dushko a *, Olga I lie a , Candice Pouge and Ma ie Vandewalle
Depa men o Conse a ion Biology and Social-Ecological Sys ems, Helmhol z Cen e o En i onmen al Resea ch –UFZ, Pe mose s . 15, Leipzig
04318, Ge many
*Co esponding au ho . E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
DD, 0000-0001-9651-0715; OI, 0009-0004-8152-5972; CP, 0000-0002-2955-1581; MV, 0000-0003-3619-9763
ABSTRACT
Communi ies a ound he globe ace nume ous challenges. The complexi y and in e wo en na u e o such challenges highligh
he need o mul iple locally ailo ed sus ainable solu ions. While a a global le el a ious policies, s a egies, and mechanisms
ha e been designed, hey o en a e no adap ed o local specifics. F equen ly es ablished in a op-down manne , hey can
c ea e ba ie s o implemen a ion (e.g. insu ficien unde s anding and owne ship, misma ch o ision be ween local commu-
ni ies and decision-make s). To add ess his issue, he Tailo ed Empowe men P og am (TEP) was de eloped o (1) suppo
and empowe communi ies in ealizing hei long- e m ision o a sus ainabili y ansi ion and (2) o e hink he ole o science
in assis ing communi ies by acili a ing access o he bes a ailable scien ific and policy knowledge. Th ough aising awa eness,
os e ing pa icipa ion, and building capaci y o co-c ea e con ex ualized sus ainable solu ions, TEP enables communi ies o
become agen s o change. The pape in oduces he TEP concep as a sus ainabili y ansi ion pa hway, in eg a ing na u e’s
po en ial, scien ific e idence, and local knowledge h ough co-c ea ion. I ou lines he TEP’s added alue, p o ides an app oach
o i s applica ion, and discusses p ac ical aspec s o TEP ope a ionaliza ion, moni o ing, and e alua ion o TEP’s impac om
sus ainabili y and empowe men pe spec i es while add essing i s limi a ions and po en ial o he u u e.
Key wo ds: blue-g een ansi ion, capaci y building, empowe men , na u e-based solu ions, pa icipa ion, sus ainabili y
ansi ion
HIGHLIGHTS
•The s udy in oduces he amewo k o he Tailo ed Empowe men P og am (TEP).
•A me hodology o he de elopmen o he TEP amewo k and i s applica ion is p o ided.
•An app oach o moni o ing and e alua ion is sugges ed o assess TEP’s impac om bo h sus ainabili y and empowe men
pe spec i es.
•The u u e po en ial and challenges associa ed wi h co-de eloping and implemen ing TEP a e discussed.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion Licence (CC BY 4.0), which pe mi s copying,
adap a ion and edis ibu ion, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/).
© 2025 The Au ho s Blue-G een Sys ems Vol 7 No 1, 210 doi: 10.2166/bgs.2025.049
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GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
1. INTRODUCTION
A ound he wo ld, communi ies a e impac ed by a a ie y o global challenges, including ex eme wea he associ-
a ed wi h clima e change, loss o biodi e si y, inc eased p essu es om u ban de elopmen and ou ism, as well
as land deg ada ion, and changes in adi ional and cul u al p ac ices (Albe e al. 2019;IPBES 2020;UNDP
2023). Since hese challenges a e in e wined and e y complex, i is u gen ly necessa y o de elop mul iple, in e-
g a ed, and flexible solu ions o sus ainabili y and esilience. This si ua ion led o go e nmen s and scien ific
communi ies e hinking he exis ing policies and s a egies, as well as eassessing he dis ibu ion o esponsibili y
among a ious s akeholde s. In pa icula , a ange o in e na ional and EU egula ions (e.g. EU Wa e F ame-
wo k Di ec i e, Habi a s Di ec i e, Biodi e si y S a egy, and UN Pa is Ag eemen ), along wi h a ious
inno a i e financing mechanisms (e.g. Eu opean In es men Bank’s p og am, Ho izon Eu ope, G een Deal,
and LIFE þp og ams), s a egies, agenda, and plans (e.g. UN Gene al Assembly (2015) –SDGs, EU Na ional
Adap a ion Plans, and Biodi e si y plans) as well as concep s and app oaches (blue-g een in as uc u e –
BGI, ecosys em-based app oach, and na u e-based solu ions (NBS)) ha e been es ablished o add ess hese p ess-
ing challenges. Fo be e in eg a ion o hese policy ins umen s in o egional and local agendas, i is pa icula ly
impo an o inco po a e he social dimension and add ess sus ainabili y issues mo e holis ically, while also
aking in o accoun he opinions o local communi ies. Fo example, ega ding u ban ecosys ems, he ecen ly
adop ed EU Na u e Res o a ion Regula ion (Law) eplaces igid quan i a i e a ge s wi h a mo e flexible
app oach, equi ing membe s a es o os e a con inuous inc ease in u ban g een a eas un il a sa is ac o y
le el is achie ed. This egula ion u he unde sco es he impo ance o co-c ea ion (engaging local communi ies
in decision-making p ocesses) which is conside ed essen ial o he success o na u e es o a ion p ojec s. Local
communi ies o en possess aluable insigh s and ha e a es ed in e es in he ou comes, making hei inclusion
c ucial o he sus ainabili y o es o a ion e o s. The Na u e Res o a ion Regula ion dis inguishes i sel om
many o he a o emen ioned en i onmen al policies as i manda es binding en o cemen , a he han me ely
encou aging olun a y ac ions, which o en limi s egional implemen a ion. This emphasizes he need o a hol-
is ic app oach o sus ainabili y ha inco po a es en i onmen al, economic, and social dimensions. To ensu e
ha he social aspec is s ongly p omo ed, i is essen ial o lis en o local communi y opinions and os e pa -
icipa o y app oaches. Mo eo e , se e al s udies show ha communi ies o en lack a sha ed sus ainabili y
ision, ailo ed s a egies o in eg a e his ision in o egional and local policies, and he necessa y esou ces
and capaci ies o i s e ec i e implemen a ion (Wi maye e al. 2014;F an zeskaki e al. 2016;Cas án
B o o e al. 2019;Kapsalis & Kapsalis 2020).
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To ackle hese challenges, a ange o use -d i en me hodologies has been de eloped, in eg a ing esea ch and
policy wi h he aim o os e ing inno a ion by collabo a i ely sensing, es ing, and efining complex solu ions in
eal-li e con ex s h ough s akeholde in ol emen (Bulkeley e al. 2016; on Wi h e al. 2019). Among hem a e
Li ing Labs (Bulkeley e al. 2016;Ge li z e al. 2024), T ansi ion Labs and T ansi ion Supe -Labs (Ne ens e al.
2013;Schönwälde 2021), Real-wo ld Labs (Wanne e al. 2018;Be gmann e al. 2021), Resilience Labs (F an -
zeskaki 2019) and Sus ainabili y T ansi ion Labs (Wiek e al. 2017;McC o y e al. 2020). While hey showcase
success ul cases in implemen ing NBS and achie ing sus ainabili y, hese ini ia i es p ima ily ocus on expe -
imen a ion in u ban se ings, lea ing u al a eas la gely o e looked.
Simila exis ing app oaches such as collabo a i e adap i e managemen (Sca le 2013;Fe nández-Giménez
e al. 2019), communi y-based na u al esou ce managemen (A mi age 2005;Reid 2015), and ecosys em-based
managemen (Tallis e al. 2010), p ima ily ocus on sus ainable managemen o ecosys ems h ough s akeholde
collabo a ion and i e a i e lea ning, aiming o balance en i onmen al, social, and economic objec i es. They
combine bo h op-down and bo om-up app oaches whe e scien ific and local knowledge is en iched by each
o he h ough pa icipa ion. Howe e , hese app oaches ha e limi a ions, such as limi ed s akeholde pa ici-
pa ion in decision-making and s ong influence om powe ul en i ies (Reid 2015;Fe nández-Giménez e al.
2019). Thei ocus is mainly on he en i onmen al dimension o sus ainabili y, while i s social and economic com-
ponen s o en emain ou o scope. Addi ionally, hese app oaches equen ly ely on scien ific e idence o
unde s and ecosys em dynamics and p ima ily ocus on in o ming communi ies a he han ac i ely engaging
and empowe ing hem. This eliance o en ails o achie e genuine communi y engagemen and empowe men ,
unde aluing local knowledge and isking he loss o local iden i ies and a sense o owne ship. Wi hou pa ici-
pa o y ac i i ies, scien ific knowledge is poo ly in eg a ed in o he local con ex , leading o limi ed ou comes ha
ail o d i e beha io al change o suppo he sus ainabili y ansi ion e ec i ely.
In o de o add ess he complexi y o hese issues and he need o di e se policies g ounded in a s ong pa i-
cipa o y app oach, alongside he g owing esea ch on li ing labs and communi y empowe men , he EU Ho izon
Eu ope p ojec Empowe Us has eme ged (h ps://empowe us-p ojec .eu/). The p ojec aims o enhance he esi-
lience o coas al communi ies by co-c ea ing in eg a ed, flexible, and empowe ing solu ions ha suppo hei
ansi ion owa d sus ainabili y. Empowe Us ecognizes he impo ance o combining scien ific e idence wi h
communi y knowledge and ac i e pa icipa ion. Fo his pu pose, a new amewo k called he ‘Tailo ed Empow-
e men P og am’(TEP) has been co-de eloped o p o ide a obus syne gy be ween esea ch impac s and
communi y engagemen . This amewo k emphasizes he alue o co-c ea ion, knowledge co-p oduc ion,
capaci y building, and eflexi e moni o ing and e alua ion wi hin he p ocesses o solu ions’de elopmen . Mo e-
o e , i also enables he explo a ion and analysis o empowe men p ocesses and ou comes. Wi h his in mind,
TEP can be defined as a sus ainabili y ansi ion pa hway, comp ising a combina ion o ac ions and empowe -
men ools ailo ed o he specific con ex o each Li ing Lab (called a T ansi ion Coas al Lab in he
Empowe Us p ojec –TCL). TCLs ep esen case s udy si es o de eloping new knowledge h ough co-c ea ion
p ocesses ha engage communi ies in planning, designing, eal-li e es ing, and e alua ing solu ions owa d sus-
ainabili y ansi ion.
The e o e, he objec i es o his pape a e o: (1) highligh he ole o key concep s wi hin he TEP; (2) in o-
duce he TEP amewo k and he app oach o implemen i ; (3) explain TEP’s added alue in he sus ainabili y
ansi ion con ex and i s benefi s o NBS and BGI p ojec s; and (4) discuss he concep ual and p ac ical aspec s
o TEP amewo k, including limi a ions and di ec ions o u u e esea ch. This pape con ibu es o a deepe
unde s anding o how o be e in eg a e local knowledge wi h scien ific e idence and os e communi y pa ici-
pa ion in sus ainabili y ansi ion. Local knowledge e e s o he communi y’s unde s anding, skills, and expe ise
gained h ough di ec in e ac ion wi h he en i onmen (IPBES 2019;Smi h e al. 2024). Specifically, i encom-
passes empi ical knowledge du ing communi ies’cul u al p ac ices o sus ain hei li elihood and connec s wi h
he communi y’s alues and belie sys em (Smi h e al. 2024). Local (also called adi ional) knowledge is ecog-
nized as a aluable social esou ce in communi y-cen e ed de elopmen (IPBES 2019;Ku niawan e al. 2023). In
doing so, he p esen ed TEP app oach aims o suppo communi ies in becoming ac i e agen s o change who
d i e he blue-g een ansi ion. Mo eo e , he pape also eflec s on he challenges and oppo uni ies o TEP
applica ion in blue-g een ansi ion p ojec s such as hose ealized wi hin he case s udies, conside ing aspec s
o planning, design, and managemen . I also explo es he cu en and po en ial impac o TEP on he communi y
(especially om he empowe men poin o iew) and en i onmen . By combining mul i- and ansdisciplina y
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app oaches, he TEP amewo k p o ides a sys emic and holis ic iew o blue-g een ansi ion mechanisms,
specifically ocusing on socie al challenges and oppo uni ies o o e come hem wi hin he ansi ion p ocess.
Howe e , TEP no only deli e s co-c ea ed blue-g een solu ions o socie al challenges, bu also con ibu es o
awa eness aising, sp eading li e acy and educa ion, and building capaci y o communi ies owa d sus ainabili y
and esilience.
The pape is o ganized in o se e al sec ions: a e in oducing he me hodological app oach, he da a used in
he esea ch, and s udy a ea cha ac e is ics, we emphasize he need o he TEP and i s added alue compa ed o
exis ing empowe men p og ams. We hen p esen he main heo e ical backg ound ha he TEP amewo k is
based on, ollowed by a b ie desc ip ion o i s applica ion. Mo e de ails on me hodological and p ac ical gui-
dance o TEP’s co-design and co-implemen a ion a e p o ided sepa a ely (see Dushko a & I lie a
o hcoming). Finally, we discuss he concep ual and p ac ical aspec s o he TEP implemen a ion, i s inno a i e-
ness, and he main lessons lea ned as well as eflec on i s limi a ions and u u e esea ch di ec ions. O e all, he
pape ocuses on he heo e ical aspec s o he TEP and i s co-de elopmen p ocess, while eal-li e implemen-
a ion esul s a e s ill ongoing. The la e will be he ocus o u u e esea ch.
2. METHODS
2.1. Empowe Us p ojec and s udy a ea
The Empowe Us p ojec aims o suppo coas al communi ies in building sus ainable and esilien u u es by
combining scien ific e idence on sus ainabili y ansi ions wi h a s ong pa icipa o y app oach ocused on
achie ing i s highes le el –empowe men . This app oach enables he TCLs o ep esen he isions o he com-
muni ies and embeds hem in o p ac ical solu ions o achie e pa icula sus ainabili y goals in an inclusi e and
pa icipa o y manne . In Empowe Us, TCLs se e as impo an demons a ion si es (Li ing Labs) o de eloping
new knowledge h ough co-c ea ion, emphasizing ac i e communi y engagemen in p ocesses o eal-li e es ing,
sha ing o in o ma ion, and enhancing capaci y. The TCLs’ne wo k is ep esen ed by six labs, co e ing di e se
coas al EU egions and con ex s (Bulga ia, Cyp us, I eland, Finland, No way, and Spain) (Figu e 1,Table 1).
Al hough each TCL has i s own se o challenges, he e a e some common issues ha o en cha ac e ize coas al
communi ies. Among hose challenges a e socio-economic (ou mig a ion, lack o jobs, housing c isis), socio-cul-
u al (iden i y isks, lack o in eg a ion), en i onmen al (clima e change, biodi e si y loss, pollu ion), and
go e nance- ela ed ( egula o y gaps, unding di ficul ies). All six TCLs a e es ablished wi hin he p ojec h ough
Figu e 1 |S udy a ea (www.empowe us-p ojec .eu).
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Table 1 |Main cha ac e is ics o he case s udy si es (TCLs) (ob ained om ques ionnai e su ey and ollow-up wo king ses-
sions wi h he TCLs)
TCL and i s loca ion The main challenges o be add essed by TEP S akeholde s in ol ed in TEP co-c ea ion
T æna, No way Socio-economic: housing c isis, ou mig a ion, lack o
business oppo uni ies, poo connec i i y, ageing
popula ion, ew jobs o you h, u u e powe
sho age, high cons uc ion cos s, di ficul ies in
ob aining loans
Socio-cul u al: limi ed social in eg a ion, high
popula ion u no e
En i onmen al: clima e ex emes (mo e s o ms and
ain), biodi e si y loss (species mig a ion and loss,
in asi e species)
Go e nance/ egula ion: p oblems wi h municipal
budge s
Local go e nmen , public au ho i ies,
academia and esea ch o ganiza ions,
p i a e business o ganiza ions, NGOs
Connema a,
I eland
Socio-economic: ou mig a ion, limi ed employmen
oppo uni ies, housing c isis, ageing popula ion,
limi ed oad access, emo eness, weak social
en e p ises
Socio-cul u al: lack o awa eness o locals o social
financial oppo uni ies, he isk o local iden i y
and I ish language, human esou ce needs o
coope a i es
En i onmen al: inc easing p essu es om Blue
G ow h, need o en i onmen al moni o ing,
clima e change, ou ism impac
Go e nance/ egula ion: limi ed access o public unds,
unde -used/go e nmen -owned asse s, bu eauc a ic
unding mechanisms
Regional go e nmen , public au ho i ies,
academia and esea ch o ganiza ions,
p i a e business o ganiza ions, NGOs,
social en e p ises
Bu gas, Bulga ia Socio-economic: ou mig a ion o young people, lack
o business oppo uni ies, educ ion in fish
esou ces
Socio-cul u al: lack o educa ion, lack o ac i e ci ic
pa icipa ion
En i onmen al: g owing u baniza ion p essu es, need
o cohe en u ban blue-g een sys em and
connec i i y, wea he ex emes, u ban hea , coas al
e osion, o e - ou ism
Go e nance/ egula ion: go e nmen al unce ain ies
( egula o y gaps), lack o cohe en s a egies, op-
down go e nance
Na ional go e nmen , local go e nmen ,
public au ho i ies, academia and esea ch
o ganiza ions, p i a e business
o ganiza ions, NGOs
Cap de C eus,
Spain
Socio-economic: lack o gene a ional eplacemen in
fishing, p i a iza ion o he sea and he coas ,
poo ly managed closu es, job insecu i y (mig an s)
Socio-cul u al: loss o ma i ime cul u al and
gas onomic he i age, need o knowledge
imp o emen on na u e, en i onmen and ma ine
ecosys ems
En i onmen al: o e exploi a ion, clima e ex emes,
impac s o wind a ms, sea pollu ion, ou ism
impac s, lack o ecosys em moni o ing, low
selec i i y o fishing gea
Go e nance/ egula ion: lack o ma i ime and coas al
su eillance
Local go e nmen , public au ho i ies,
academia and esea ch o ganiza ions,
p i a e business o ganiza ions, NGOs
Åland, Finland Socio-economic:fish esou ce conflic s be ween
ou ism ope a o s and p o essional fishe s, lack o
knowledge on he use s o fish esou ces, hei
ca ch and business p o ide s, local ood p oduc ion
a isk
Public au ho i ies, academia and esea ch
o ganiza ions, p i a e business
o ganiza ions, NGOs
(Con inued.)
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a mul i-ac o co-c ea ion app oach ha in ol es ele an communi y s akeholde s (e.g. academia and esea ch
o ganiza ions, public au ho i ies and decision-make s, local businesses linked o he Blue economy, and ci il
socie y –NGOs) in he de elopmen o he TEP. In gene al, each TEP is aimed o achie e he ollowing blue-
g een ansi ion goals: sus ainable esou ce use, be e coas al managemen wi h a ocus on ecological sus ainabil-
i y, pa icipa o y planning and go e nance, economic esilience, na u e-based ou ism, social in eg a ion, and
imp o ed human–na u e ela ionships.
Thus, TEP suppo s he ansi ion o coas al communi ies owa d socio-ecological esilience and sus ainabili y
in bo h he sho - and long- e m:
- Sho - e m, h ough he implemen a ion o sus ainable solu ion(s) (called ‘pilo s’ o es hese co-de eloped sol-
u ions wi hin he p ojec ’s li e ime);
- Long- e m, h ough he i e a i e implemen a ion o he en i e TEP (which includes o he sus ainabili y solu ions
o be implemen ed du ing and a e he end o he p ojec ).
The implemen a ion o he ac i i ies wi hin he TEP is suppo ed by he empowe men ools ha a e defined as
ins umen s and se s o ins uc ions (e.g. NBS, social inno a ions, co-c ea ion ools) o pe o m specific sus ain-
abili y- ela ed ac ions while add essing coas al challenges. The e o e, co-de eloped sus ainabili y ansi ion
pa hways and empowe men ools wi hin he TEP will help communi y s akeholde s iden i y and implemen
e ec i e sus ainable al e na i es. In o al, six TEPs we e co-de eloped (one pe TCL) wi h he local communi ies,
con ibu ing o: (a) Capaci y building h ough skill de elopmen and ailo ed educa ional ma e ials, (b) Imp o -
ing he unde s anding o ba ie s and enable s o sus ainabili y ansi ion, and (c) S eng hening communi y
pa icipa ion and co-de elopmen o sus ainable solu ions h ough NBS and o he blue-g een p ojec s.
2.2. Resea ch design
The esea ch was conduc ed in ou phases (Figu e 2). In o de o es ablish he TEP amewo k (phase 1), we
s a ed wi h a semi-sys ema ic e iew o bo h scien ific and g ay li e a u e, ocused on concep ualiza ions and
me hodological app oaches de eloped and applied wi hin he exis ing communi y empowe men p og ams
aimed a sus ainabili y ans o ma ion and esilience ( o mo e de ails see Dushko a & I lie a 2024). The objec-
i e was o explo e he key needs o such p og ams (i.e. he main challenges aced by communi ies) and how hey
in e sec wi h key Eu opean policy p io i ies. Addi ionally, i also in ol ed iden i ying he s a egies and
app oaches o sus ainabili y ans o ma ion employed in such p og ams and hei main ou comes o
Table 1 |Con inued
TCL and i s loca ion The main challenges o be add essed by TEP S akeholde s in ol ed in TEP co-c ea ion
Socio-cul u al: di e en social, cul u al, economic,
and en i onmen al alues be ween di e en use s
o he sea
En i onmen al: endange ed ep oduc ion in spawning
a eas, educed fish popula ions, po en ial o e use o
he fish popula ion, land use conflic s
Go e nance/ egula ion: conflic s be ween di e en
g oups o in e es , bu eauc a ic ba ie s and unclea
egula ions o fishing ac i i ies, in e na ional mul i-
le el go e nance ha impac adi ional li e-mode,
lack o coo dina ion o na u e conse a ion
Eas e n Limassol Socio-economic: indus ial p essu e, poo connec i i y
be ween communi ies and he coas
Socio-cul u al: need o an eco-cen ic local
communi y de elopmen , influen ial s akeholde s
lobby
En i onmen al: impac s o was e managemen
ac o y, Vasilikos ene gy cen e , ma ine aquacul u e
Go e nance/ egula ion: op-down s a egic decisions,
isk o high- ise de elopmen s wi hou app op ia e
planning, non-app ecia ion o he ecological and
social impo ance o he coas al a ea
Na ional go e nmen , egional public
au ho i ies, local go e nmen , academia and
esea ch o ganiza ions, p i a e business
o ganiza ions, NGOs
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empowe men . I allowed us o summa ize and syn hesize he main hemes, concep s, me hods, and pe spec i es
ha ha e been applied wi hin he communi y empowe men p og ams owa d sus ainabili y and esilience. Fu -
he mo e, i enabled us o e eal and c i ically analyze he gaps o be add essed wi hin ou TEP amewo k. The
p o o ype o he TEP amewo k, i s p ima y s uc u e, and gene al app oach o i s applica ion ha e been dis-
cussed wi h expe s in he field o sus ainabili y ans o ma ion. This allowed he iden ifica ion o he fields o
i e a i e imp o emen s o ensu e ha he sugges ed TEP amewo k is scien ifically obus and he app oach
o i s implemen a ion is clea and easy o use by he communi y. Mo eo e , he TEP p o o ype was p esen ed
o and discussed wi h a b oade esea ch communi y (including in e - and ansdisciplina y expe ise) a in e -
na ional con e ences, wo kshops, and h ough consul ing expe s o alida e he amewo k and s eng hen i s
scien ific obus ness. As a final p oduc , he concep ual backbone o he TEP (i s p o o ype) was de eloped.
The syn hesis o he esul s ob ained h ough he li e a u e e iew and discussions wi h scien ific communi ies
suppo ed he efinemen o a TEP heo e ical amewo k and a s ep-wise app oach o i s applica ion (phase 2).
To iden i y he TCLs’challenges o be add essed by he TEP, a baseline assessmen was o ganized om Decem-
be 2021 o Janua y 2022 and included an online su ey (UFZ esponsible) and on-si e in-dep h in e iews
(Queen’s Uni e si y Bel as esponsible –see Flanne y e al. (2023)). They we e conduc ed among he ep esen-
a i es o he TCLs om academia and esea ch o ganiza ions public (NGOs) and p i a e business companies.
The online su ey empla e consis ed o h ee sec ions (pe sonal in o ma ion, main challenges aced by TCL com-
muni ies, and commen s) wi h 14 ques ions (bo h closed and open) (see Su ey Templa e S1 in he
Supplemen a y ma e ial). Some ques ions we e weigh ed using a 6-poin Like scale, anging om 0, meaning
ha he challenge is no ele an a all, o 5, indica ing ha he challenge is ex emely ele an (meaning i is
afi s -p io i y challenge o be add essed by he communi y). In o de o app o e, con ex ualize, and gain in-
dep h knowledge ega ding he TEP ope a ionaliza ion, a case s udy me hod was applied. This me hod allowed
us o explo e he key cha ac e is ics, meanings, and implica ions o he TEP amewo k ac oss di e en
geog aphical and socio-cul u al con ex s using six TCLs as case s udies (see Table 1). Du ing a se ies o bo h
on-si e and online Empowe Us p ojec mee ings (including s ee ing commi ee mee ings, gene al assemblies,
wo kshops, webina s, and discussion slo s) wi h he TCLs’ ep esen a i es, he TEP amewo k was alida ed
and efined, and guidance o i s applica ion was p oposed. As a esul , an ini ial heo e ical TEP amewo k
and a eady- o-use guidance o i s co-de elopmen and co-implemen a ion wi h he local communi ies we e
es ablished in Decembe 2023, along wi h a imeline o upcoming ac i i ies.
The la es phase (phase 3) includes he p ac ical implemen a ion o he TEP wi h he local communi ies using
he guidance de eloped wi hin phase 2 (six s eps o ollow). Wi hin he ame o he Empowe Us p ojec , wo
Figu e 2 |The esea ch design o his s udy.
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se ies o local wo kshops wi h s akeholde s in each TCL enabled he in eg a ion o new elemen s in o he TEP
de elopmen p ocess h ough a pa icipa o y app oach. Du ing he fi s se ies o pa icipa o y u u e scena io
wo kshops conduc ed in May–June 2023, ep esen a i es om each key s akeholde g oup in he TCLs iden ified
and discussed challenges, as well as po en ial solu ions and isions. Based on hese esul s and conside ing scien-
ific e idence and expe knowledge, se e al sus ainable solu ions (pilo op ions) o add ess he iden ified
challenges we e co-de eloped. These pilo op ions we e p esen ed and discussed du ing he second se ies o
local wo kshops. As a esul o delibe a ion p ocesses wi h he local s akeholde s, one pilo was selec ed in
each TCL o u he implemen a ion as a es ing phase o a pa o he TEP. Addi ionally, o suppo he ealiz-
a ion o each pilo , p elimina y ypes and examples o empowe men ools we e iden ified and p esen ed du ing
he second se ies o local wo kshops held in Oc obe –No embe 2023. In o al, all key g oups o he communi ies
ha e been eached o co-de elop he TEP and ela ed sus ainable solu ions (e.g. NBS) ollowing he Empowe Us
app oach ha ensu es he inclusion o di e se s akeholde s in he p ocess (based on gende , age, ep esen a ion
o a ious s akeholde g oups). As a esul , in Spanish TCL, a o al o 21 pa icipan s ook pa in wo kshop 1 and
17 pa icipan s in wo kshop 2; in No wegian TCL –22 and 20, in I ish TCL –20 and 17, in Finish TCL –9 and 8,
Cyp io TCL –16 and 19, and in Bulga ian TCL –18 and 17 pa icipan s acco dingly.
Finally, an app oach o co-moni o ing and co-e alua ion o TEP’s sus ainabili y impac and i s ole in empow-
e men was es ablished du ing phase 4. In o de o c ea e a se o indica o s o he e alua ion o TEP’s
sus ainabili y impac ac oss all i s dimensions (Economy, En i onmen , and Socie y), a na a i e e iew o scien-
ific and g ay li e a u e was conduc ed. As a esul , a a ie y o sus ainabili y- ela ed indica o s (e.g. co e
en i onmen al, economic, place egene a ion, human heal h and well-being, pa icipa o y planning, and go e n-
ance, see Table S2 in he Supplemen a y ma e ial) we e adap ed om exis ing app oaches o assessing NBS
impac and communi y empowe men owa d sus ainabili y (e.g. Kabisch e al. 2016;Raymond e al. 2017;
Connop e al. 2020;IUCN 2020;EC 2021;Sowinska-Swie kosz e al. 2021; and also he se o indica o s iden -
ified in he e iew o Dushko a & I lie a (2024)). They we e p o ided o he TCLs as a co e se o indica o s o
suppo he moni o ing and e alua ion o TEP impac as well as a ailo ed se o indica o s ha ha e been co-
selec ed acco ding o he specific needs o he TCLs o be applied in a pa icipa o y manne (Table S2 in he Sup-
plemen a y ma e ial). These indica o s aim o suppo he assessmen o he po en ial and eal benefi s o pilo s
and hei con ibu ions o di e en dimensions o sus ainabili y wi hin he b oade TEP. Addi ionally, an
app oach o explo ing and analyzing social inno a ions ha eme ged wi hin he TEP co-implemen a ion has
been de eloped (Dushko a e al. o hcoming). A se ies o in e nal p ojec mee ings, webina s, and wo kshops
wi h he TCLs, as well as pa icipa o y p ocesses wi hin he TCLs communi ies (including he u iliza ion o ai-
lo ed empowe men ools), enabled i e a i e efinemen o he whole TEP and i s e alua ion app oach.
The au ho s’expe ience om wo king on o he p ojec s ela ed o sus ainabili y ans o ma ion, co-c ea ion,
Li ing Labs, and NBS was used h oughou he whole esea ch amewo k. In pa icula , wo k wi hin Eklipse
(h p://www.eklipse.eu/), RECONECT (h p://www. econec .eu/), CONNECTING Na u e (h ps://connec ing-
na u e.eu/), Eco-Ready (h ps://www.eco- eady.eu/li ing-labs/) and o he H2020 sus ainabili y- ela ed p ojec s
shows ha he exis ence o s akeholde s willing o become ac i e agen s in he empowe men p ocess is an
impo an aspec o communi y-based de elopmen . Th ough collabo a ion wi h a ious g oups o s akeholde s
on co-c ea ion and also empowe ing communi y o ganiza ions, we can s a e ha he moni o ing and e alua ion
o empowe men app oaches (e.g. social, cul u al, poli ical, economic, physical empowe men , and especially
empowe men h ough educa ion) plays a c ucial ole. Mo eo e , he li e a u e e iew o implemen ed empow-
e men p og ams (Dushko a & I lie a 2024) emphasizes moni o ing and e alua ion as c i ical componen s o
mos p og ams. These p ocesses no only allow o he obse a ion and documen a ion o changes bu also
demons a e he ans o ma i e impac o he pa icula ac ions wi hin he p og am.
3. RESULTS
3.1. Theo e ical amewo k: De eloping he concep ual backbone o he TEP
The e iew o 21 empowe men p og ams aimed a os e ing sus ainabili y and esilience in communi ies (see
Dushko a & I lie a 2024) highligh ed hei goals, a ge g oups, and empowe men domains, along wi h he p i-
ma y benefi s hey deli e ed. Empowe men in hese p og ams b oadly e e s o mo i a ing indi iduals and
communi ies o ake ac ion in accomplishing impo an goals. Fou main empowe men a eas/elemen s we e
iden ified: (a) Capaci y building, (b) Sel - eliance, owne ship, esponsibili y, and independence, (c) Pa icipa ion,
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engagemen , and collec i e ac ion, and (d) In eg a ion o local knowledge and alues. A common, s epwise
app oach was obse ed ac oss p og ams, s a ing wi h (1) awa eness aising and p oblem iden ifica ion, ollowed
by (2) lea ning, aining, capaci y building, (3) p o iding be e access o esou ces, allowing (4) enhanced com-
muni y in e ac ion and leading o (5) ac i e pa icipa ion in de eloping sus ainable solu ions and in decision-
making, wi h (6) assis ing by he implemen a ion o such solu ions and culmina ing in (7) moni o ing and e alu-
a ion o assess goal achie emen and he esul s o empowe men (Dushko a & I lie a 2024). These a eas o
empowe men we e conside ed in he de elopmen o he TEP amewo k and we e in eg a ed as i s s uc u al
elemen s (Figu e 3).
Howe e , he e iew has e ealed se e al knowledge gaps. While he e a e pa icula examples o success ul
empowe men p og ams, a clea concep ual amewo k o designing, implemen ing, and e alua ing hese p o-
g ams ac oss di e se local con ex s is lacking, limi ing hei po en ial o eplica ion and scalabili y. A mo e
s uc u ed and i e a i e app oach is essen ial o acili a e b oade adop ion by he communi ies. The e iew
also e ealed he c i ical impo ance o unde s anding he alue o he moni o ing and e alua ion aspec s o
he p og ams o assessing and demons a ing hei ans o ma i e impac . A well-de eloped e alua ion ame-
wo k can p o ide aluable guidance o policymake s on he e ec i eness o sus ainable de elopmen
measu es. This is exac ly whe e he TEP app oach p oposed in his pape can help b idge his gap.
Conside ing he app oaches used wi hin he e iewed empowe men p og ams (see Dushko a & I lie a 2024)
and aking in o accoun he gaps men ioned, we decided o heo e ically base he TEP amewo k on ou in e -
ela ed concep s: pa icipa ion, empowe men , sus ainabili y (and sus ainabili y ansi ion), and esilience.
Addi ionally, wo o he app oaches, namely NBS and empowe men ools, ha e been inco po a ed o be e
in e link hese concep s and ensu e he comp ehensi eness and inne cohe ency o he amewo k (Figu e 3).
We belie e he TEP can se e as a sus ainabili y ansi ion pa hway in he long e m, os e ing inno a ion
wi h na u e and people o add ess communi y challenges and p omo e sus ainabili y- ela ed changes. This
app oach aims o ensu e communi y esilience and empowe he communi ies o ac o hese changes. The e-
o e, i is impo an o c i ically eflec on hese co e TEP- ela ed concep s and app oaches and emphasize
how hey a e in e linked o be e unde s and he TEP amewo k.
Pa icipa ion. Public pa icipa ion (o ci izen pa icipa ion) is defined as a p ocess o con inuum o in e ac ions
be ween ins i u ions and people, and he di e en go e nance a angemen s ( o ms, ypes, and me hods) ha
mode a e hem (Kiss e al. 2021;EPA 2023). I is o en unde s ood as any p ocess ha in ol es he public in p o-
blem-sol ing o decision-making, whe e public inpu is u ilized o make be e -in o med decisions (EEA 2023). In
Figu e 3 |Co e concep s and key s uc u al elemen s o he TEP (a ows show he in e linkages be ween he concep s h ough
NBS and empowe men ools).
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Table 2 |O e iew o he TEPs main cha ac e is ics (No e: S ep 6: Refining he TEP i e a i ely is no included since i is an ongoing p ocess and in e media e esul s a e no ye a ailable)
TCL
S ep 1: Baseline assessmen and S ep 2:
defining challenges and solu ions wi h
communi y
S ep 3: Co-de eloping TEP wi h he
communi y and discussing pilo op ions
S ep 4: Empowe men ools o suppo pilo s and
TEP and S ep 5: Implemen ing pilo solu ions wi hin he TEP
Challenges
S akeholde s
in ol ed Pilo The main goals o he TEP TEP i le
Empowe men aspec s o be
suppo ed by he ools
Po en ial NBS ypes
(ongoing p ocess) Blue-g een ansi ion
T æna,
No way
Socio-economic: housing c isis,
ou mig a ion, lack o business
oppo uni ies, poo connec i i y,
ageing popula ion, ew jobs o
you h, high cons uc ion cos s,
di ficul ies in ob aining loans
Socio-cul u al: limi ed social
in eg a ion, high popula ion
u no e
En i onmen al: clima e ex emes
(mo e s o ms and ain),
biodi e si y loss (species
mig a ion and loss, in asi e
species)
Go e nance/ egula ion: p oblems
wi h municipal budge s
Local go e nmen ,
public au ho i ies,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs
Cu en pilo : Hooked
on T æna (Blue-
g een de elopmen
a ena)
Fu u e op ion 1:
Sus ainable and ai
housing p og am
Fu u e op ion 2: Blue-
G een lea ning
en i onmen s
To add ess he g owing
challenges o high u no e
o inhabi an s, limi ed
anspo a ion op ions,
con inui y o local p ojec s
and ac i i ies, and limi ed
oppo uni ies o young
people and businesses
A ac i e and accessible
T æna o all: be e
connec i i y,
sus ainable
anspo a ion and
housing, na u e-based
ou ism, ood
p oduc ion, and social
in eg a ion
(1) Awa eness aising on
sus ainable de elopmen ; (2)
De eloping skills, knowledge,
and capaci y on sus ainable
solu ions o anspo a ion,
ood p oduc ion, and na u al
esou ce use; (3) Imp o ing
communi y access o
in o ma ion on sus ainable
anspo a ion, housing, and
ou ism; (4) Enhancing
collabo a ion be ween
municipali y and o he
s akeholde s; (5) Co-de eloping
inclusi e blue-g een solu ions
(1) Na u e-based ou ism o
p e en human p essu e
and loss o biodi e si y
and boos li elihoods; (2)
NBS o es o a ion o
habi a - o ming species;
(3) Communi y ga den as
NBS; (4) Coas al walking
pa hs o ensu e
p ese a ion and
dissemina ion o cul u e
and his o y connec ing
people and na u e
Towa d be e blue-g een connec i i y,
social in eg a ion h ough NBS, and
less dependency on seasonal
economic condi ions due o mo e
g een jobs
Connema a,
I eland
Socio-economic: ou mig a ion,
limi ed employmen
oppo uni ies, housing c isis,
ageing popula ion, es ic ed
oad access, emo eness, weak
social en e p ises
Socio-cul u al: lack o awa eness
among locals abou social and
financial oppo uni ies, isk o
local iden i y and I ish language,
human esou ce needs o
coope a i es
En i onmen al: inc easing
p essu es om Blue G ow h,
need o en i onmen al
moni o ing, clima e
change, ou ism impac .
Go e nance/ egula ion: limi ed
access o public
unds, go e nmen -owned asse s,
Regional go e nmen ,
public au ho i ies,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs, social
en e p ises
Cu en pilo : Social
en e p ise suppo
Fu u e op ion 1.
Communi y housing
p og am o he
Connema a
Gael ach
Fu u e op ion 2.
Planning echnical
aid se ice o he
Connema a
Gael ach
To c ea e a s onge enabling
en i onmen o social
en e p ises and co-
ope a i es in he Gael ach
a ea h ough building
skills, knowledge, and
capaci ies and; o de elop
mo e comme cially iable
and financially esilien
social en e p ises and co-
ope a i es
Social En e p ise Suppo
P og am o
de eloping skills,
knowledge, and
capaci ies o
sus ainable use o
na u al esou ces o
he coas , na u e-based
and inclusi e business,
sus ainable housing,
and communi y
esilience
(1) Awa eness aising on he
de elopmen o social
en e p ises o p o ec na u al
ma ine esou ces wi h
economic models ha p io i ize
he sus ainable use o he coas ;
(2) De eloping skills,
knowledge, and capaci ies o
social co-ope a i es and
en e p ises; (3) Imp o ed
communi y access o
in o ma ion and unding o
social en e p ises; (4)
Enhancing communi y
in e ac ion h ough c ea ing an
en i onmen o collabo a ion
and exchange; (5) Co-
de eloping sus ainable solu ions
led by social en e p ises
(1) Re i aliza ion o he
coas o na u e-based
ou ism o p o ec
biodi e si y, p omo e
human heal h, and
s eng hen li elihoods o
all; (2) Na u e-based
ec ea ion o suppo
biodi e si y, human
heal h, and well-being; (3)
Inclusi e NBS o social
housing (communi y
ga dens, ain ga dens,
pocke pa ks, o clima e
adap a ion, social
in eg a ion, place
a ac i eness)
Towa d mo e
sus ainable and e ficien use o
na u al coas al esou ces h ough
social en e p ises
(Con inued.)
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Table 2 |Con inued
TCL
S ep 1: Baseline assessmen and S ep 2:
defining challenges and solu ions wi h
communi y
S ep 3: Co-de eloping TEP wi h he
communi y and discussing pilo op ions
S ep 4: Empowe men ools o suppo pilo s and
TEP and S ep 5: Implemen ing pilo solu ions wi hin he TEP
Challenges
S akeholde s
in ol ed Pilo The main goals o he TEP TEP i le
Empowe men aspec s o be
suppo ed by he ools
Po en ial NBS ypes
(ongoing p ocess) Blue-g een ansi ion
bu eauc a ic unding
mechanisms
Bu gas,
Bulga ia
Socio-economic: ou mig a ion o
young people, lack o business
oppo uni ies, educ ion in fish
esou ces
Socio-cul u al: lack o educa ion,
lack o ac i e ci ic pa icipa ion
En i onmen al: g owing
u baniza ion p essu es, need o
cohe en u ban blue-g een
sys em and connec i i y, wea he
ex emes, u ban hea , coas al
e osion, o e - ou ism
Go e nance/ egula ion:
go e nmen al unce ain ies
( egula o y gaps),
lack o cohe en s a egies, op-
down go e nance
Na ional go e nmen ,
local go e nmen ,
public au ho i ies,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs
Cu en pilo : Bu gas
on Th ee Lakes
Fu u e op ion 1:
eco ou ism b and
‘SymBio ic’
Fu u e op ion 2:
Adap i e
go e nance and co-
managemen digi al
model o he Lakes
Fu u e op ion 3:
Capaci y building:
adul ecological,
clima e and disas e
educa ion
To ackle a ious challenges
ela ed o he lakes and he
ci y o Bu gas (e.g.
u baniza ion p essu es,
clima e change-induced
ex eme wea he e en s),
e ol ing egional and
na ional economic
p io i ies, and conflic ing
s akeholde in e es s
Bu gas on Th ee Lakes as
a benchma k and
model o na u e
conse a ion,
eco ou ism,
sus ainable coas al
de elopmen , be e
connec i i y, clima e
change adap a ion,
and ecological
educa ion
(1) Awa eness aising on na u e
conse a ion, es o a ion,
sus ainable use o na u al
esou ces; s eng hening he
lakes’ alue o he communi y;
(2) De eloping skills,
knowledge, capaci y h ough
ecological educa ion, ci izen
science, e en s, p omo ing
sus ainable economic models
(also o ou ism); imp o e he
abili y o NGOs o cap u e
alue om he blue economy;
(3) Enhancing communi y
in e ac ion h ough wo kshops,
ci izen science, es i als, (4) Co-
de eloping sus ainable solu ions
(we lands es o a ion,
eco ou ism, connec i i y)
(1) Na u e-based ou ism
h ough we land
es o a ion and
p ese a ion; (2) NBS
ha p omo es ecognizing
we land ecosys ems alue
o lakes’a ea (we land
es o a ion, awa eness
aising, in eg a ed
ecosys em managemen
h ough pa icipa o y
decision-suppo ools);
(3) Blue-g een ne wo k
ex ension o connec ci y
and lakes a ea, p omo e
communi y engagemen
and in eg a ion; (4) NBS
o inclusi e ecological
educa ion
Towa d be e blue-g een connec i i y
and en i onmen al li e acy,
na u e-based ou ism
as an al e na i e o cu en
de elopmen
Cap de
C eus,
Spain
Socio-economic: lack o
gene a ional eplacemen in
fishing, p i a iza ion o he sea
and he coas , poo ly managed
closu es, job insecu i y
(mig an s)
Socio-cul u al: loss o ma i ime
cul u al and gas onomic
he i age, need o imp o ed
knowledge o na u e,
en i onmen , and ma ine
ecosys ems
En i onmen al: o e exploi a ion,
clima e ex emes, impac s o
wind a ms, sea pollu ion,
ou ism impac s, lack o
ecosys em moni o ing, low
selec i i y o fishing gea
Go e nance/ egula ion:lacko
ma i ime and coas al
su eillance
Local go e nmen ,
public au ho i ies,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs
Cu en pilo :
Na u eCap Digi al
Solu ion and Food
Fu u e Op ion 1: Sea
Fai
To add ess he p essu e o
ma i ime ac i i ies and he
Blue g ow h; o be e
adap o clima e change; o
suppo he de elopmen
o mo e e ec i e
egula ions o na u e
conse a ion; o p omo e
inclusi e and sus ainable
sea ood gas onomy and
ood so e eign y in Cap de
C eus
Facili a ing syne gies o
s eng hen eco-social
ne wo king and c oss-
sec o al collabo a ion
o sus ainable
esou ce managemen ,
alignmen o blue
economy wi h
biodi e si y and
imp o ed knowledge
o eco-social p ac ices
(1) Awa eness aising on
sus ainable coas al de elopmen
and sus ainable consump ion;
(2) De eloping skills,
knowledge, and capaci ies o
eco-social ne wo king, c oss-
sec o al collabo a ion, and eco-
social p ac ices; (3) Imp o ed
communi y access o
in o ma ion ia digi al solu ions
and egula public e en s; (4)
Enhancing communi y
in e ac ion h ough digi al ools
and ele an e en s; (5) Co-
de eloping sus ainable solu ions
(Na u Cap app, Sea Fai o
eco-social ne wo king and eco-
ac i ism)
1) NBS o inno a i e eco-
ou ism (using Na u Cap
app); (2) Re i aliza ion o
he coas o ec ea ion,
eco- ou ism, human well-
being, and boos ing
li elihood; (3) NBS o
p o ec biodi e si y
( es o a ion o habi a -
o ming species ha ac
as ‘clima e escue s’,
ehabili a ion o he
coas al and e es ial
ecosys ems); (4) NBS o
low-impac sus ainable
fishe ies and es o a ion
o habi a s by engaging
fishing sec o
Towa d na u e-based ou ism, mo e
sus ainable managemen o wa e and
coas al esou ces, mo e consolida ed
communi y
Åland,
Finland
Socio-economic: conflic s o e fish
esou ces be ween ou ism
ope a o s and fishe s, lack o
knowledge on fish esou ce
use s, hei ca ch and business
p o ide s, local ood p oduc ion
isks
Socio-cul u al: social, cul u al,
economic, and en i onmen al
alues be ween use s o he sea
En i onmen al: endange ed
ep oduc ion in spawning a eas,
educed fish popula ions,
po en ial o e use o fish
Public au ho i ies,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs
Cu en pilo : Åland
fishe ies appeal
Fu u e op ion 1.
P o ec ion o
unc ioning
spawning si es and
es o a ion o
deg aded si es
Fu u e op ion 2.
Licensing,
e alua ion and
moni o ing o
ou ism and
ec ea ional
To de elop an agenda o
public, p i a e, and
fishe ies sec o s o add ess
human-wildli e conflic s,
household and ec ea ional
fishe s; o add ess
challenges o fishing due
o species loss, in he
con ex o EU egula ions;
in eg a e he fishe ies
sec o in he
municipali ies’s a egic
long- e m planning
Imp o ing fishe ies
managemen ,
including sus aining
fish popula ions,
p ac ices, and na u e
conse a ion, and
secu ing sus ainable
use o esou ces in
Åland
(1) Awa eness aising on
oppo uni ies o e ec i e
sus ainable fishing, exis ing and
po en ial land use conflic s; (2)
De eloping skills, knowledge,
and capaci ies on sus ainable
and adi ional fishe ies, na u e
conse a ion and sus ainable
use o esou ces; (3) Imp o ed
communi y accesses o
in o ma ion h ough fishe ies
a eas mapping, exhibi ion and
TCLs’exchange; (4) Enhancing
communi y in e ac ion h ough
(1) NBS o ecological
es o a ion o habi a -
o ming species; (2) NBS
o clima e adap a ion:
ehabili a ion o he
coas al and e es ial
ecosys ems; (3) NBS o
biodi e si y conse a ion
in he special p o ec ion
a eas; (4) NBS o
p omo e sus ainable use
o ma ine esou ces and
sus ainable fishe ies; (5)
Re i aliza ion o he coas
Towa d mo e e ficien fishe ies
managemen and na u e conse a ion
ha p omo e adi ional fishe ies
alues
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popula ion, land use conflic s
Go e nance/ egula ion: conflic s
be ween g oups o in e es ,
bu eauc a ic ba ie s, unclea
egula ions o fishing,
in e na ional mul i-le el
go e nance ha impac
adi ional li e mode, lack o
coo dina ion o na u e
conse a ion
fishe ies
Fu u e op ion 3.
Ålandic adi ional
fishe ies and hei
li es yle as
UNESCO he i age
e en s, exhibi ions, wo kshops
and aining, in e ac i e maps,
and engaging g oups ha we e
ha d o each; (5) Co-de eloping
sus ainable solu ions in fishe y
sec o s and o es o ing
deg aded si es
o na u e-based ou ism
o p o ec biodi e si y,
p omo e human heal h
and well-being, and boos
li elihoods
Eas e n
Limassol,
Cyp us
Socio-economic: indus ial p essu e,
limi ed connec i i y be ween
communi ies and he coas
Socio-cul u al: need o ecocen ic
local communi y de elopmen ,
influen ial s akeholde s lobby
En i onmen al: impac s o was e
managemen ac o y, Vasilikos
ene gy cen e , ma ine
aquacul u e
Go e nance/ egula ion: op-down
s a egic decisions, isk o high-
ise de elopmen s wi hou
app op ia e planning, non-
app ecia ion o he ecological
and social impo ance o he
coas al a ea
Na ional go e nmen ,
egional public
au ho i ies, local
go e nmen ,
academia and
esea ch
o ganiza ions,
p i a e business
o ganiza ions,
NGOs
Cu en pilo : The Cape
Dolos S a egic
Communi y
De elopmen Plan
Fu u e Op ion 1:
Implemen ing
solu ions wi hin he
S a egic
De elopmen Plan
Fu u e op ion 2:
Fu he
implemen ing
solu ions wi hin he
S a egic
De elopmen Plan
(wi h possible
ex ension o
De elopmen Plan
a ea)
To add ess significan
challenges aced by he
h ee neighbo ing
communi ies o Moni,
Monag ouli, and
Pen akomo, including
limi ed connec i i y o he
sea and an
unde app ecia ion o he
ecological and cul u al
significance o he
coas line
Coas al Mas e Plan o
he Eas e n Limassol
Region o be e
connec he sea and
he communi ies; o
ackle conflic s
be ween he blue
economy, esiden ial/
ou ism use, and
na u e conse a ion;
o adap o clima e
change; o s eng hen
cos alue
(1) Awa eness aising on
ecological, social, and economic
alues o he coas and i s
sus ainable managemen ; (2)
De eloping skills, knowledge,
and capaci ies on ac ions o
enhancing coas al sus ainabili y;
(3) Imp o ed communi y access
o in o ma ion h ough mapping
socio-ecological alues o he
coas , communi y pa icipa ion
and exchange; (4) Enhancing
communi y in e ac ion h ough
engaging a ious s akeholde s
in de eloping and designing
Coas al Mas e Plan; (5) Co-
de eloping sus ainable solu ions
o be e connec i i y o he sea
(walking pa hs) and social
in eg a ion
(1) Re i aliza ion o he
coas al a ea o na u e-
based ou ism and
ec ea ion o p o ec
biodi e si y, p omo e
human heal h and well-
being, and boos
li elihoods (g een
walking pa h o connec
mainland and coas ); (2)
Ecological es o a ion o
habi a - o ming species,
ehabili a ion o he
coas al and e es ial
ecosys ems; (3)
Sus ainable managemen
o ma ine esou ces (incl.
sus ainable ha es ing,
sus ainable land use,
pa icipa o y planning
and managemen )
Towa d mo e sus ainable coas al
managemen , clima e adap a ion, and
be e connec i i y be ween he
communi y and he coas
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•The TEP o Eas e n Limassol TCL (Cyp us) cen e s on a Coas al Mas e Plan o balance economic g ow h, esi-
den ial expansion, and na u e conse a ion while p omo ing pa icipa o y planning and sus ainable ma ine
esou ce managemen .
Despi e he di e ences in he local con ex (e.g. u ban s. u al specifics and hei co esponding challenges),
he TEP amewo k is ailo ed o each TCL allowing hem o ealize hei ansi ional pa hways owa d sus ain-
abili y. We can s a e ha he common ea u es o each TEP include: (1) sus ainabili y (e.g. os e ing long- e m
esilience and s eng hening human–na u e ela ionships h ough sus ainable solu ions, incl. NBS); (2) commu-
ni y empowe men (e.g. u ilizing a ious empowe men ools o suppo capaci y building, co-c ea ion,
pa icipa o y decision-making, and go e nance); (3) economic and social de elopmen (e.g. c ea ing job oppo -
uni ies, imp o ing li ing condi ions, and enhancing economic esilience).
4. DISCUSSION
4.1. In e linkages be ween he key concep s wi hin he TEP amewo k and he added alue o TEP
We de eloped he TEP amewo k based on he ollowing key concep s: pa icipa ion, empowe men , sus ainabil-
i y, and esilience, all o which a e in e linked h ough NBS and empowe men ools. A e iew o exis ing
empowe men p og ams (Dushko a & I lie a 2024) e ealed ha hese concep s a e associa ed wi h (1)
imp o emen in communi y pa icipa ion and capaci y building, pa icula ly by imp o ing communi y access
o in o ma ion on sus ainabili y de elopmen p ojec s and (2) encou aging communi y in ol emen in he de el-
opmen o p ojec s wi h sho - and long- e m impac and a e based on inclusi i y and social jus ice. Addi ionally,
as s a ed in a ious s udies, communi y empowe men has become an inc easingly impo an aspec o sus ain-
able de elopmen policies o bo h u ban and u al a eas (Lyons e al. 2001;Hölsgens e al. 2023;Toniolo
e al. 2023). I was demons a ed ha sus ainable de elopmen depends on he exis ence o ci ic socie y’s capa-
bili y o in ol emen , which equi es communi y pa icipa ion and empowe men (Ku niawan e al. 2023). In
ega d o NBS- ela ed p ojec s, pa icipa ion, and engagemen a e o en iewed as mechanisms o encou age
o empowe s akeholde s, enabling hem o ac owa d and en ision sus ainabili y (Hölsche e al. 2019;
Siebe e al. 2024).
He ea e we highligh he added alue o he TEP app oach in compa ison o exis ing amewo ks and explain
how i con ibu es o p omo ing sus ainabili y and esilience. Specifically, i examines how TEP, as a bo om-up
app oach, in eg a es scien ific and local knowledge, os e s pa icipa ion h ough he concep o Li ing Lab,
empowe s communi ies in sus ainabili y ansi ions, and p omo es NBS. These elemen s posi ion TEP as a com-
p ehensi e s a egy o ad ancing sus ainable change.
4.1.1. TEP as a s a egy o communi y empowe men o sus ainabili y ansi ion
TEP can be concep ualized as pa o a b oade empowe men ini ia i e. I s amewo k was de eloped based on a
li e a u e e iew (Dushko a & I lie a 2024), which p o ided he TEP heo e ical backbone. Du ing he concep-
ualiza ion o he TEP amewo k, he au ho s in eg a ed insigh s om his e iew and expe consul a ions, o
iden i y se e al c i ical gaps o be u he add essed by he TEP. Among hem is he lack o a clea ly defined con-
cep ual amewo k, which limi s he adap abili y o empowe men p og ams o be designed, implemen ed, and
e alua ed in a ious local con ex s. This deficiency hampe s hei po en ial o eplica ion and upscaling. Conse-
quen ly, he added alue o he TEP amewo k is in add essing hese gaps by p oposing a mo e s uc u ed,
accessible, and i e a i e app oach o communi y empowe men , p o iding communi ies wi h clea guidelines
o ac o a change owa d sus ainabili y. The TEP amewo k has been discussed wi h a ious expe s in he
field o sus ainabili y ansi ion and efined acco dingly. By embedding di e se empowe men ools, TEP
encou ages communi ies o ac independen ly a he han se e as passi e ecipien s o ex e nal solu ions,
he eby os e ing mo e e ec i e and sus ainable ans o ma i e change.
4.1.2. TEP as a bo om-up app oach ha aligns scien ific and local knowledge on sus ainabili y and esilience
As we ha e lea ned, many app oaches defined as ‘communi y-based’(e.g. collabo a i e adap i e managemen ,
communi y-based na u al esou ce managemen , o ecosys em-based managemen ) we e, in ac , ex e nally
ini ia ed and o en used as a acade o op-down managemen , whe eas pa icipa o y planning me hods, genuine
communi y engagemen , and empowe men we e a ely employed (A mi age 2005;Sca le 2013;Reid 2015;
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O’Higgins e al. 2020). Compa ed o hem, TEP’s dis inc i e ea u e is he ac i e use o a bo om-up app oach o
ensu e equal dialogue be ween esea che s and local s akeholde s. This app oach p o ides added alue in add es-
sing he gaps iden ified in he amewo ks men ioned abo e by os e ing he in eg a ion o local knowledge wi h
scien ific e idence. This ensu es ha he local iden i ies and expe ise o communi ies a e bo h acknowledged
and alued, educing he isks o ‘lea ing someone behind’o unde u ilizing communi y po en ial. Fu he mo e,
he use o pa icipa o y me hods also allows TEP o inco po a e he long- e m isions o communi ies, co-c ea ed
h ough dialogue be ween he communi y membe s and scien ific ep esen a i es, ensu ing ha he chosen an-
si ion pa hways a e bo h sus ainable and easible. By embedding empowe men ools, sugges ed by esea che s
and co-selec ed wi h he communi y, TEP posi ions local ac o s as ac i e, independen agen s o change a he
han passi e end-use s/ ecipien s o solu ions, hus acili a ing mo e e ec i e, sus ainable, and long- e m ans o -
ma i e change.
TEP wi h in eg a ed NBS con ibu es o he 2030 Agenda and i s SDGs in mul iple ways:
•TEP enables simul aneously add essing bo h public in e es s and en i onmen al aspec s o sus ainabili y; his
dual impac makes he TEP amewo k a powe ul mechanism o ackling sus ainabili y challenges in an in e-
g a ed and pa icipa o y way;
•TEP calls o ac ion om all sec o s and s akeholde s, including public ins i u ions, businesses, ci il socie y, and
esea che s, hus con ibu ing o c oss-sec o al collabo a ion and p omo ing e ec i e ins i u ional amewo ks;
•TEP emphasizes he c i ical ole o local knowledge and ailo ed con ex ualized ac ions in sus ainabili y
ansi ion;
•TEP allows he in eg a ion o di e en aspec s o sus ainabili y while implemen ing policies and conside ing
bo h syne gies and adeo s ac oss di e en SDGs;
•Since SDGs o en demand obus moni o ing, epo ing, and he use o ele an indica o s o ack p og ess,
TEP p o ides he co esponding app oach and ools (e.g. echniques and indica o s o moni o ing and e alu-
a ion o sus ainabili y impac and communi y empowe men ).
4.1.3. TEP as a sus ainabili y ansi ion pa hway ha boos s pa icipa ion h ough he li ing lab app oach
Ou expe ience om a ious sus ainabili y- ela ed p ojec s demons a es ha he Li ing Lab model is an e ec i e
o ma o mobilizing communi y esou ces, s imula ing pa icipa ion, and es ing co-c ea ed solu ions wi hin he
TEP amewo k. Recen s udies (Be gmann e al. 2021;Ge li z e al. 2024) also emphasize he success o Li ing
Labs in inno a ion es ing, efining, and scaling impac ul solu ions. Mo eo e , he Eu opean Ne wo k o Li ing
Labs was c ea ed in 2006 as an open and ci izen-cen ic inno a ion ecosys em wi h he aim o de eloping a global
inno a ion in as uc u e ha empowe s e e yone o co-c ea e means and alue wi h and o Eu opean ci izens.
Howe e , o TEP o be ully e ec i e, i is essen ial ha Li ing Labs emain open o ex e nal ac o s (e.g. hose
ou side he local communi y) and acili a e ongoing knowledge exchange among all p ojec pa icipan s. In he
Empowe Us p ojec , TCLs we e c ea ed wi h a dis inc i e ocus on being guided by scien ific leads and hos s ha
ep esen he communi ies. These ins i u ions play a i al ole in media ing be ween he scien ific communi y and
local s akeholde s, ensu ing e ec i e knowledge ans e and co-p oduc ion, capaci y building, and he alignmen
o local and scien ific expe ise.
4.1.4. TEP as a s a egy o u he p omo ing o NBS
In i s p ima y goal, TEP in ends o p oduce a pa icipa o y and inclusi e model o ansi ioning owa d sus ain-
abili y, conside ing all i s dimensions (en i onmen al, economic, and social). Gi en ha TEP inco po a es
na u e’s po en ial wi h economic and social capaci ies, i can be iewed as a s a egy o os e he widesp ead
adop ion and implemen a ion o NBS (e.g. h ough in eg a ing he key IUCN (2020) c i e ia such as NBS a e
based on inclusi e, anspa en , and empowe ing go e nance; e ec i ely add ess socie al challenges; a e mana-
ged adap i ely, ailo ed o na u al and cul u al con ex s; p o ide mu ual benefi s o bo h people and na u e). This
s a egy suppo s op imizing local esou ces and communi y capabili ies by in es iga ing he economic, social,
and ecological po en ial o imp o e ecosys em unc ions and enhance he deli e y o ecosys em se ices (e.g.
h ough he implemen a ion o ce ain in e en ions such as NBS). By iden i ying and e alua ing ba ie s and
enabling ac o s ha influence he success o po en ial in e en ion, NBS wi hin he TEP can be a esponse
o, o a ca alys o , social inno a ions ha can boos communi y capaci y o sus ainable change. Addi ionally,
by p o iding a se o indica o s o moni o ing and e alua ion, TEP helps o assess he sus ainabili y impac and
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communi y empowe men esul ing om NBS implemen a ion. Fu he mo e, TEP can also in eg a e se e al
o he sus ainabili y- ela ed ac i i ies ha a e no explici ly amed as NBS.
4.2. Applica ion o TEP amewo k in Empowe Us and lessons lea ned o u he implica ions
The ini ial lessons lea ned om he ope a ionaliza ion o he TEP heo e ical amewo k in eal-li e se ings, such
as Li ing Labs/TCLs, can be summa ized a ound he ollowing poin s:
•The alue o a sha ed unde s anding o he TEP heo e ical concep among key s akeholde s is c ucial.I is
essen ial o build capaci ies o hem, as well as o acili a o s in ad ance. This ensu es ha he communi y
has an ac i e and well-in o med hink ank g oup ha unde s ands he co e s uc u al elemen s o he TEP
amewo k and hei impo ance in achie ing he communi y’s sha ed ision. While i may no be necessa y
o e e y s akeholde o be ully amilia wi h he TEP amewo k, a collec i ely gene a ed u u e ision can
se e as a uni ying elemen and a d i ing o ce o he whole p ocess o change (F an zeskaki & Rok 2018;
Kapsalis & Kapsalis 2020). Howe e , o ensu e he smoo h p ocess o he TEP ope a ionaliza ion and o
a oid s agna ion du ing he ini ial phase, i is impo an o make su e ha such a hink ank g oup is knowledge-
able abou he TEP concep and commi ed o p omo ing i . Ano he impo an ole o his hink ank g oup is
o ini ia e he mapping and analysis o o he key communi y s akeholde s and decide on e ec i e ways o os e
hei in ol emen and engagemen .
•Unlocking he po en ial o a sus ainabili y ansi ion h ough he iden ifica ion o i s ba ie s and enable s.I is
impo an o explo e ba ie s as hinde ing ac o s o TEP implemen a ion, as well as analyze hei in e ela ion-
ships. To o e come hese ba ie s, he co esponding enable s should be iden ified o boos he TEP ealiza ion.
Ou expe ience shows ha he mos equen ly appea ed ba ie s include lack o poli ical will and long- e m
commi men , insu ficien financial esou ces, pa h dependency, inadequa e egula o y mechanisms, sec o al
silos (ins i u ional agmen a ion), lack o public awa eness, unce ain y abou he benefi s o he solu ion, as
well as limi ed land and ime a ailabili y. These ba ie s ha e also been emphasized in o he s udies, whe e
a se o le e aging poin s/enable s we e iden ified, such as es uc u ing ins i u ions and e hinking how knowl-
edge is c ea ed and used in he pu sui o sus ainabili y (Abson e al. 2017;F an zeskaki & Rok 2018;E shad
Sa abi e al. 2019). In Empowe Us, we p ima ily ocus on he ollowing g oups o d i e s o sus ainabili y an-
si ion: agency and in e ac ion (incl. c ea ing and implemen ing new go e nance s uc u es based on b oad
pa icipa ion, di e se ac o ne wo ks, and communi y empowe men ) and de elopmen p ocesses (incl.
sys em awa eness, collec i e isioning, p ac ical expe imen a ion, eflexi i y, and capaci y building) ( ha is
in line wi h he app oaches o Cas án B o o e al. 2019).
•Impo ance o co-c ea ion/collabo a i e wo k o ganized in an inclusi e and pa icipa o y manne . Wi hin
Empowe Us, he flexible co-c ea ion amewo k is de eloped ha o e s space, ime, and hema ic impulses
o he p ocesses o empowe men o coas al communi ies in building sus ainable and esilien u u es. This
amewo k is based on co-c ea ion p inciples, including espec ul coope a ion, and en i onmen al and
social jus ice, ha a e in line wi h he co-c ea ion app oaches o o he s udies (Ne ens e al. 2013;F an zeskaki
& Rok 2018;Cas án B o o e al. 2019;Dushko a & Kuhlicke 2024). Co-c ea ion he e o e is a cen al ea u e o
he TEP, which se es as he ounda ion o i s implemen a ion. I is impo an o enhance capaci ies, skills, and
a i udes ha allow he s akeholde s o become uly independen a e he p ojec ends. In his ega d, empow-
e men ools play a i al ole in suppo ing communi ies h ough hei pilo ac ions. Fu he mo e, se e al
s udies conduc ed in di e en coun ies demons a e ha ac i e communi y pa icipa ion and empowe men
con ibu e o he success o egional sus ainable de elopmen (Kabisch e al. 2016;UNEP 2019).
•Enabling condi ions o con inuous skills de elopmen , con ex ual knowledge co-p oduc ion, and acili a ing
capaci y building. As esea che s wo king a he science-policy-socie y in e ace, we would ecommend
add essing ce ain knowledge gaps and compe ency needs wi hin he b oade communi y. In pa icula ,
capaci y building and co-p oduc ion o knowledge a e cen al o add essing sus ainabili y challenges. Ou
expe ience indica es ha i can be achie ed by embedding he ollowing elemen s in he de elopmen o
he TEP amewo k: en i onmen al awa eness aising, blue-g een/ocean li e acy and sys em hinking
app oaches o p epa ing and o ganizing co-c ea ion ac i i ies. Also, mains eaming pa icipa o y policy-
making (e.g. h ough polycen ic and mo e adap i e go e nance), expanding he capaci y o unde ake
in e - and ansdisciplina y esea ch and ac ions, as well as con inuous o ganiza ional lea ning, along wi h
he ins i u ional easibili y, can play an impo an ole in his con ex (Van de Jag e al. 2017;F an zeskaki
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& Rok 2018; on Wi h e al. 2019). These p ocesses mus guide u he knowledge de elopmen , up ake, and
applica ion as pa o an i e a i e and holis ic p ocess owa d sus ainabili y ans o ma ion. TEP in his
ega d, se es as an impo an ool o building capaci ies and os e ing empowe men o he local commu-
ni ies o a sus ainable ansi ion.
•Building mo e obus sys ems o knowledge gene a ion and exchange ha a e capable o engaging a wide ange
o s akeholde s. Sus ainabili y-o ien ed in e disciplina y scien ific ne wo ks should be ac i ely engaged in
capaci y building. They a e a i al sou ce o new inno a i e knowledge ha acili a es ongoing and dynamic
adap a ion p ac ice. The use o a knowledge b oke ing mechanism, such as Eklipse, p o ides added alue o
his p ocess by b inging oge he a wide ange o expe ise han he one p esen in a p ojec ’s conso ium.
Th ough he applica ion o a obus me hodology and e hical in as uc u e, he syn hesis o exis ing knowledge
by an es ablished g oup o expe s om a ious scien ific backg ounds allows he c ea ion o deep e idence-
based knowledge ha can inc ease he esilience o communi ies in hei ansi ion owa d g ea e sus ainabil-
i y. I is essen ial o c ea e collabo a ion be ween social and na u al scien is s and p ac i ione s, sugges and
encou age ex ended aining ha s eng hens scien ific capaci ies, and de elop science communica ion skills
o imp o e he in e ac ion wi h policy-make s and he wide communi y. In Empowe Us, an in e disciplina y
expe wo king g oup was es ablished o syn hesize he cu en s a e o e idence conce ning he ole o NBS
and communi y empowe men ools in add essing coas al challenges (Siebe e al. 2024).
•Acknowledging he a ie y o esea ch communi y’s oles. Conside ing ha people canno be empowe ed by
o he s, he ole o esea che s in sus ainabili y ansi ion p ojec s (and specifically in Empowe Us) is a he
o ca alyze, acili a e, and suppo coas al communi ies in ecognizing and enhancing hei powe h ough a
a ie y o exis ing empowe men ools while co-p oducing new ones. This s ong pa icipa o y, mul i-ac o
app oach and ansdisciplina y ocus o he p ojec is a eal added alue o a oid a op-down model o knowl-
edge deli e y (ins ead o os e ing knowledge co-p oduc ion). This e y much aligns wi h he Eu opean G een
Deal and he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDGs) ha can only be achie ed h ough he engagemen and
suppo om he communi y as a whole. Howe e , conside ing he challenges in ega d o he conflic ing iews
and powe dynamics, i equi es a conside able endea o om p ojec pa ne s and Li ing Labs o ensu e
inclusi e, equi able, and jus co-design and co-implemen a ion o inno a i e and socially accep ed sus ainable
solu ions. Ano he impo an ma e o be conside ed in his ega d is building us be ween he esea che s,
key s akeholde s, and he wide communi y (F an zeskaki & Rok 2018). To achie e his, esea che s should
be anspa en in demons a ing hei in e es s, ac ions, and expec a ions om he collabo a ion wi h local s a-
keholde s (F an zeskaki & Rok 2018;Hölsche e al. 2022). Resea ch, in his con ex , becomes pa o ac i i ies
ha can p oduce social impac . Ou expe ience shows ha esea che s o en play he ole o media o s be ween
di e en (some imes conflic ing) iews and in e es s. Ini ially, hey may be mo e ac i ely engaged in he co-c e-
a ion p ocess, bu o e ime hei ole can shi o p o iding consul ancy on demand, suppo ing communi ies
as hey inc easingly ake owne ship o sus ainable solu ions.
4.3. Limi a ions and di ec ions o u u e esea ch and applica ion o he TEP app oach
Th ough he p ocess o TEP de elopmen and implemen a ion, we iden ified he ollowing gaps and limi a ions o
be add essed wi hin u u e esea ch, o which he ollowing ecommenda ions ha e been p oposed:
•Define in ad ance ac i e s akeholde s and al eady es ablished ne wo ks o suppo he long- e m pe spec i e.
The TEP concep has been de eloped in a specific con ex o align wi h he pa icula scope o an EU-
unded p ojec . Mo eo e , collabo a ion wi h he local communi y has been o ganized h ough he TCL aca-
demic lead ( ep esen a i e om academia and esea ch o ganiza ions) and he hos ( ep esen a i e om an
NGO o s a e o ganiza ion, and consul ing company); hus, he communica ion be ween o he membe s o
he conso ium and he b oade TCL communi ies was mos ly o ganized by hem. Al hough he TEP has
been mos ly ini ia ed by academia, esea ch o ganiza ions, and NGOs, which means ha he need o
TEP was no coming om he b oade communi y, his ini ia i e ep esen ed he common ision o he com-
muni y ha fi s came om long-las ing coope a ion wi h di e en g oups o s akeholde s. Mo eo e , his
u u e ision and op ions/solu ions o ealize i we e discussed, efined, and finally alida ed wi h he
whole communi y (since he wo kshops, su eys, and in e iews allowed o engage he ep esen a i es
om each communi y g oup, conside ing lea ing no one behind app oach p omo ed by EEA (2023) and
implemen ed by he Empowe Us p ojec . Howe e , he e is s ill oom o es ing a ully bo om-up ini ia i e.
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In o de o add ess his and be able o alida e he ull po en ial o he TEP, pa icula scena ios o eal-li e
applica ions and op imal scales should be de eloped, conside ing he aspec s o owne ship and long- e m
pe spec i e, as well as he possible op ions o e ec i e go e nance. The design o TEP implemen a ion
assumes ha i will ake place wi hin he amewo k o a Li ing Lab (called TCLs in he Empowe Us p o-
jec ), whe e a pool o ac i e s akeholde s has al eady been o med, esou ces ha e been mobilized, and he
geog aphical bounda ies o he a ea ha e been defined. Thus, he need o es ablish such a amewo k has o
be conside ed o ensu e a success ul TEP applica ion.
•C i ically analyze powe ela ionships and leade ship wi hin he communi y and o ganize a co-c ea ion p ocess
ha a oids imbalances. The specifics o he con ex men ioned abo e p e-de e mined he exis ing powe
ela ionships in he communi ies whe e he TEP concep was es ed. These dynamics a ec ed he ep esen-
a ion o se e al ac o s and hei in e es s. As s a ed by A elino e al. (2023) and Wi maye e al. (2014), he
issue o powe ela ions is closely linked o he ans o ma i e po en ial o sus ainabili y ini ia i es. Thus, i
is impo an o u he analyze he local socio-poli ical dynamics o sys emic change o be e unde s and
wha he key oles and ac i i ies o he in ol ed ac o s a e and how hey can e ol e wi hin he p ocess o sus-
ainabili y ansi ion. Fo he success ul design and implemen a ion o he TEPs, i is essen ial o engage a wide
ange o s akeholde s, some imes wi h di e ging, con adic o y, o e en conflic ing in e es s. Media ion and
conflic esolu ion play a c i ical ole by p o iding s uc u ed and neu al pla o ms o dialogue and unde -
s anding. Fos e ing be e communica ion and collabo a ion will allow s akeholde s o cla i y
misunde s andings and each a comp omise ailo ed o he co e needs o all pa ies. T ained acili a o s
should be in ol ed in he de elopmen o TEPs o suppo his p ocess, and o make su e ha powe ela ion-
ships do no c ea e significan imbalances be ween s akeholde s.
•Ensu e communi y owne ship o TEP de elopmen and design. In he Empowe Us p ojec , he TEP amewo k
was es ed in he con ex o six TCLs and alida ed by only wo en i ies – he academic lead and he hos . This
means ha eedback om a b oad ange o s akeholde s was ansla ed and ansmi ed o he p ojec conso -
ium h ough he academic lead and he hos (fi s due o language di e ences/ba ie s). Howe e , as poin ed
ou by Hobson e al. (2019),Linné & Wibeck (2020), and Toniolo e al. (2023), communi y owne ship is one o
he essen ial componen s o success ul sus ainabili y ini ia i es, which can also be applicable o he TEP. Ou
p e ious e iew o empowe men p og ams (Dushko a & I lie a 2024) also e ealed ha owne ship and
esponsibili y, along wi h pa icipa ion, collec i e ac ion, and local knowledge, a e he key ocus a eas o
empowe men . Thus, o achie e i , he p ojec de eloped a co-c ea ion pa hway based on a mul i-ac o
app oach; addi ionally, a a ie y o empowe men ools ha e been iden ified o suppo he ac i e in ol emen
o communi y s akeholde s in planning, designing, implemen ing, and e alua ing sus ainable de elopmen
ini ia i es ha impac hei li es (Dushko a e al. 2024;Siebe e al. 2024). S udies (EEA 2021;Alemanno
2022;Dushko a & I lie a 2024) confi m ha when he communi y is ac i e in de eloping a ce ain p ojec ,
collec i ely manages asse s (e.g. powe g ids, housing, o businesses), and akes owne ship o he p ojec in gen-
e al, i ends o be mo e commi ed o i s success and akes g ea e esponsibili y o i s long- e m sus ainabili y.
Fu he mo e, he se o indica o s has been de eloped o no only suppo he TCLs in moni o ing and e alua -
ing he TEP sus ainabili y impac bu also o assess how he communi y empowe men p ocess un olds and
which pa ame e s can be moni o ed o achie e he desi ed ou comes.
•Plan o long- e m commi men and esou ce alloca ion (e.g. financial and ime cos s o ensu e TEP cos -e fi-
ciency). F om an implemen a ion pe spec i e, he TEP amewo k migh equi e addi ional e o , ime, and
financial esou ces, specifically, by o ganizing pa icipa o y p ocesses, engaging all s akeholde s, selec ing
app op ia e expe s, and main aining he momen um o he co e ac i e g oup. TEP is no designed o quick
esponses; i s p ima y ocus is on long- e m ans o ma ion, ensu ing ongoing s akeholde engagemen and
building capaci y in communi ies o independen ly add ess pa icula challenges. One TEP can consis o di e -
en NBS wi h quick and isible benefi s (e.g. communi y ga dens) ha equi e less ime, e o , and unding
compa ed o o he NBS whe e he fi s benefi s would be only deli e ed in he long- e m (e.g. ee plan ing
as NBS). As a esul , he TEP implemen a ion cycle may demand ex ensi e ime commi men s, including nego-
ia ions wi h s akeholde s, o ganizing pa icipa o y ac i i ies ollowing he ‘Lea e No One Behind’p inciple,
and embedding pa icula sus ainabili y in e en ions (e.g. NBS) wi hin policy- egula ion amewo ks and cul-
u al con ex s. Addi ionally, financial esou ces a e also necessa y o expe consul a ions, aining sessions,
and o he capaci y building ac i i ies, making TEP a esou ce-in ensi e app oach o os e sus ainable change.
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5. CONCLUSION
This pape in oduces he TEP amewo k as a pa hway owa d sus ainabili y ansi ion ha in eg a es na u e’s
po en ial, scien ific e idence, and local knowledge h ough p ocesses o co-c ea ion (e.g. co-designing solu ions
and co-p oducing knowledge). By eflec ing on a ious exis ing app oaches o suppo ing sus ainabili y an-
si ions in communi ies (Li ing Labs, collabo a i e adap i e managemen , and ecosys em-based managemen ),
we discuss he key findings om he li e a u e e iew on exis ing empowe men p og ams owa d sus ainabili y
and esilience (Dushko a & I lie a 2024) and he iden ified esea ch gaps. Nex , we demons a e how hese gaps
can be add essed by he TEP concep ha allows o shi ing he ole o he communi y om he end-use s o
passi e beneficia ies o blue-g een echnologies (incl. NBS) o ac i e agen s o change ha d i e his ansi ion.
The esea ch p esen s he TEP amewo k and i s co-de elopmen p ocess, along wi h an app oach o i s p ac-
ical implemen a ion, and demons a es he fi s ou comes om i s ope a ionaliza ion in he TCLs. Thus, we
p ima ily ocus on making a heo e ical a he han an empi ical con ibu ion and demons a e he added
alue o TEP by me ging he concep ual app oaches o pa icipa ion, empowe men , sus ainabili y, and esilience
h ough NBS and empowe men ools. The added alue o TEP e e s o p o iding: (1) a bo om-up app oach ha
aligns scien ific ou pu s wi h local knowledge on sus ainabili y and esilience; (2) a sus ainabili y ansi ion pa h-
way ha enhances pa icipa ion h ough he li ing lab app oach; (3) a s a egy o communi y empowe men in
sus ainabili y ansi ions and (4) an app oach o u he NBS p omo ion. The pape eflec s on he main lessons
lea ned om he ope a ionaliza ion o he TEP amewo k wi hin he Empowe Us p ojec , as well as on i s limi -
a ions and di ec ions o u u e esea ch (e.g. he specific con ex o TEP de elopmen and implemen a ion;
powe ela ionships, and leade ship in he communi y; and communi y owne ship). We belie e ha he p oposed
TEP amewo k has he po en ial o suppo a b oad ange o communi y s akeholde s who seek a well-s uc-
u ed, sui able, comp ehensi e, and p ac ically o ien ed app oach ha acili a es and os e s communi y
empowe men owa d sus ainabili y ansi ion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The au ho s would like o hank he Empowe Us p ojec conso ium o he p oduc i e discussions on he TEP
p o o ype and amewo k. We app ecia e he suppo o indi idual expe s in discussing and imp o ing he TEP
amewo k, as well as hei aluable commen s. Pa icula ly, we hank Ma ia Igna ie a (UWA), Dagma Haase
(HU), Ha ineeswa i Meenakshi Sunda am (UFZ), Zo a Reckhaus (UFZ), Anas asia Kons an ino a (RUDN),
Sla a Vasene (WURL), and Vic o ia No iko a-Dickey. The au ho s also ex end hei g a i ude o he edi o
and he e iewe s o hei help ul e iews and cons uc i e commen s.
FUNDING
The wo k was suppo ed by he H2020 Eu ope P ojec ‘Empowe Us: Socio-economic Empowe men o Coas al
Communi ies as Use s o he Sea o Ensu e Sus ainable Coas al De elopmen ’(2022–2025), G an Ag eemen
No. 101059957. The publica ion has been p epa ed wi hin he UFZ In eg a ion Pla o m P ojec s ‘Sus ainable
u u e land use. P o isioning na u al esou ces, biodi e si y, and ecosys em se ices’(Ecosys ems o he u u e)
and ‘Socie al T ans o ma ions owa ds Sus ainabili y’(T ans o ma ions owa d esilien ci ies, Subp ojec Blue-
g een ans o ma ion).
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
D.D. concep ualized and supe ised he s udy, de eloped i s me hodology, collec ed he da a, conduc ed he
analysis, alida ed he esul s, w o e, e iewed, and edi ed he a icle, and p epa ed he isualiza ions. O.I. con-
cep ualized he s udy, de eloped i s me hodology, collec ed he da a, conduc ed he analysis, w o e and edi ed he
a icle, and p epa ed he isualiza ions. C.P. pa icipa ed in he concep ualiza ion o he s udy and de elopmen
o i s me hodology, w o e and e iewed he a icle, and p epa ed a isualiza ion. M.V. de eloped he ini ial idea
o his amewo k, concep ualized, supe ised he s udy, and w o e and e iewed he a icle.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
All ele an da a a e included in he pape o i s Supplemen a y In o ma ion.
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CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The au ho s decla e he e is no conflic .
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