BlueGOV – Empowering Coastal Governance through Ocean Literacy

The BlueGOV project, funded by Erasmus+, is dedicated to advancing Ocean Literacy: the understanding of how the ocean influences us and how our decisions and activities influence the ocean. By bringing Ocean Literacy into local governance and everyday decision-making, BlueGOV supports European coastal authorities and other local actors, including administrations, businesses, associations, educational institutions, and civil-society organisations, in making more proactive, responsible, and ocean-conscious choices.

BlueGOV starts from the premise that coastal sustainability is not only a matter of scientific knowledge or environmental regulation. It also depends on whether local decision-makers understand the sea as part of their territory’s ecological foundations, economy, cultural identity, and future resilience. The project therefore examines how Ocean Literacy is already understood and practiced in coastal regions, where barriers remain, and which examples of good practice can be transferred across different European contexts.

The project combines comparative research, stakeholder interviews, capacity-building activities, and the development of practical support tools. Its main outputs include a digital e-learning platform and a practical toolbox that will provide decision-makers and local stakeholders with accessible knowledge, concrete examples, and guidance for implementing ocean-conscious measures in their own organisational contexts. Rather than treating Ocean Literacy as an abstract concept, BlueGOV translates it into practical resources for coastal governance, local communication, and institutional learning.

BlueGOV is implemented by seven European partners, with the University of Greifswald as project lead. At the University of Greifswald, the project is based at the Chair of Sustainability Science and Applied Geography within the Institute of Geography and Geology. The comparative research and analysis across the three pilot regions is led by Prof. Dr. Susanne Kleemann and Leonie Feinendegen.

The project focuses on three pilot regions representing three European sea basins: the Baltic Sea region around Rügen in Germany, the Adriatic/Mediterranean region around Šibenik-Knin in Croatia, and the Atlantic region around Oeiras in Portugal. In the German case study, particular attention is given to the Baltic Sea, the island of Rügen, and cooperation with local actors, supported by the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Southeast Rügen.