2021:4 Societal drivers behind pressures on the marine environment

This report has been prepared on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and is an adapted version of a Swedish-language report, ‘Drivkrafter i samhället bakom belastning på havsmiljön’ (Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment report no. 2020:8).

Assessments carried out to date on pressures on the sea and the environmental status of Baltic and North Sea coastal and offshore waters indicate that more and new measures are required to achieve a better marine environment. An area that would benefit from further understanding is the diversity of actors within society who contribute to pressures on the sea, and the drivers behind different actions or behaviours of actors.

This report aims to show what drivers are at societal, organisational and individual levels. It also aims to provide an overview of how the concept of drivers has been used to date within marine environment-related research and management, and how the actions of actors are linked to drivers. Greater awareness of behaviours of actors, and their drivers and barriers could contribute to marine environment management receiving better support for identifying and devising more effective measures.

The report is aimed primarily at those working within marine management. It is hoped that it can also inspire researchers and research funders with responsibility for interdisciplinary knowledge that encompasses multiple sectors.