WP8: MPA Portal

The process starts with defining what users need. Through active consultation with stakeholders, Work Package 8 is identifying the functions that matter most—from essential tools such as data search and interactive mapping, to advanced features like analytics dashboards, multilingual support, and integration with other HELCOM databases. 

The emphasis is on usability, interoperability, and practical application, ensuring that the portal is not just a data repository but a tool that can actively support decision-making. 

With database design underway, initial wireframe concepts have been produced and both back-end and front-end developers have been recruited. 

The goal is to deliver a platform that is intuitive, visually engaging, and user-friendly, serving both experts who need detailed information and the wider public who want to learn about protected areas in their region. 

Technical solutions are being tested to ensure the system remains flexible, transparent, and sustainable.

The next steps include finalizing the requirement specifications and data model, developing the APIs that will connect the database with the user interface, and advancing the front-end design. 

As the portal takes shape, it will become a shared resource for the entire region—linking scientific knowledge, governance tools, and public engagement in one place.

By building this central gateway, the project is working to ensure that information about the Baltic Sea’s MPAs is not only stored, but also shared and used—supporting stronger, more transparent, and more effective marine protection.