16
Note:
As an area-based management framework, MSP can often be mistaken as a mapping exercise as
it does use maps to create a more comprehensive picture of a marine area, identifying where, and
how an ocean area is being used, what natural resources, and habitats exist, and how these
resources could be used in the future avoiding conflicts among users. All MSP exercises rely on
spatial (area-based) management processes that can vary in scale, but also on social context.
Social context could include cultural, and other intrinsic value that are time invariant. MSP also
accounts for temporal trends, conducting retrospective analysis, and utilizing forecasting
methods, and fully taking into account seasonal, annual, and longer time trends, such as
oceanographic phenomena. (LME, 2020).
3.2. Benefits of MSP
As often a public and political process, MSP can be seen as an important tool to provide
transparency to a complicated decision-making process, using spatial, and temporal data to
balance trade-offs, and back important policy decisions. Much more than a series of maps, the
intended result of MSP is a holistic, well-coordinated, and sustainable approach towards the
effective use of marine areas, ensuring that marine resources, and services are utilized within
clear environmental limits that prioritize marine ecosystem health.
MSP should be seen as a planning framework to bring together the multitude of information,
views, and needs, with dynamic spatial planning requirements, for a sustainably consumption of
goods, and services from the marine environment indefinitely (LME, 2020).
As a practical management instrument to rationalise the use of marine, and coastal space, and
resources, MSP can have significant economic, social, administrative, and environmental
benefits. The following table identifies some of the most important benefits of marine spatial
planning:
Table 3 :Examples of benefits of marine spatial planning (Ehler & Douvere 2009)
Economic
Environmental
Social
Administrative
-
Increased certainty of
access to desirable areas
for new private sector
investments, where
infrastructure is frequently
amortized over 20-30 years
-
Identification, and early
resolution of conflicts
among incompatible uses
through planning instead
of litigation
-
Streamlined, and more
transparent permit, and
licensing procedures
-
Improved capacity to plan
for new, and changing
human activities, including
emerging technologies, and
their associated effects
-
Identification of
ecologically, and
biologically
significant areas
as a basis for
space allocation
-
Establish context
for planning a
network of marine
protected areas
-
Identification, and
reduction of the
cumulative effects
of human activities
on marine
ecosystems
-
Improved
opportunities for
local community,
and citizen
participation in
planning
-
Identification of
effects of decisions
on the allocation of
ocean space (e.g.,
closure areas for
certain uses,
protected areas) on
communities
-
Identification, and
preservation of
social, cultural, and
spiritual values
related to use of
ocean space
-
Improve speed,
quality,
accountability, and
transparency of
decision making, and
reduction of
regulatory costs
-
Improve consistency,
and compatibility of
regulatory decisions
-
Improve information
collection, storage,
and retrieval, access,
and sharing
Note:
As an area-based management framework, MSP can often be mistaken as a mapping exercise as
it does use maps to create a more comprehensive picture of a marine area, identifying where, and
how an ocean area is being used, what natural resources, and habitats exist, and how these
resources could be used in the future avoiding conflicts among users. All MSP exercises rely on
spatial (area-based) management processes that can vary in scale, but also on social context.
Social context could include cultural, and other intrinsic value that are time invariant. MSP also
accounts for temporal trends, conducting retrospective analysis, and utilizing forecasting
methods, and fully taking into account seasonal, annual, and longer time trends, such as
oceanographic phenomena. (LME, 2020).
3.2. Benefits of MSP
As often a public and political process, MSP can be seen as an important tool to provide
transparency to a complicated decision-making process, using spatial, and temporal data to
balance trade-offs, and back important policy decisions. Much more than a series of maps, the
intended result of MSP is a holistic, well-coordinated, and sustainable approach towards the
effective use of marine areas, ensuring that marine resources, and services are utilized within
clear environmental limits that prioritize marine ecosystem health.
MSP should be seen as a planning framework to bring together the multitude of information,
views, and needs, with dynamic spatial planning requirements, for a sustainably consumption of
goods, and services from the marine environment indefinitely (LME, 2020).
As a practical management instrument to rationalise the use of marine, and coastal space, and
resources, MSP can have significant economic, social, administrative, and environmental
benefits. The following table identifies some of the most important benefits of marine spatial
planning:
Table 3 :Examples of benefits of marine spatial planning (Ehler & Douvere 2009)
Economic
Environmental
Social
Administrative
-
Increased certainty of
access to desirable areas
for new private sector
investments, where
infrastructure is frequently
amortized over 20-30 years
-
Identification, and early
resolution of conflicts
among incompatible uses
through planning instead
of litigation
-
Streamlined, and more
transparent permit, and
licensing procedures
-
Improved capacity to plan
for new, and changing
human activities, including
emerging technologies, and
their associated effects
-
Identification of
ecologically, and
biologically
significant areas
as a basis for
space allocation
-
Establish context
for planning a
network of marine
protected areas
-
Identification, and
reduction of the
cumulative effects
of human activities
on marine
ecosystems
-
Improved
opportunities for
local community,
and citizen
participation in
planning
-
Identification of
effects of decisions
on the allocation of
ocean space (e.g.,
closure areas for
certain uses,
protected areas) on
communities
-
Identification, and
preservation of
social, cultural, and
spiritual values
related to use of
ocean space
-
Improve speed,
quality,
accountability, and
transparency of
decision making, and
reduction of
regulatory costs
-
Improve consistency,
and compatibility of
regulatory decisions
-
Improve information
collection, storage,
and retrieval, access,
and sharing