MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning.

Abstract

This guide builds on the inputs, experiences and lessons learned provided by the MSPglobal community through all activities organised or supported by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries between 2017 and 2021, in the context of the Joint Roadmap to accelerate marine/maritime spatial planning processes worldwide. The guide has been drafted by members of the MSPglobal International Expert Group (Joseph Onwona Ansong, Ingela Isaksson, Michele Quesada-Silva, Joanna Smith, Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Riku Varjopuro, Zhiwei Zhang) and the editors, with essential contributions and revisions from members of the MSPglobal Thematic Expert Groups (Andrej Abramić, Karima Khalil, Anja Kreiner, Ivana Lukić, Sarah Mahadeo, Ant Türkmen, Celia Vassilopoulou, Tom Woolley). The guide was coordinated by Alejandro Iglesias Campos (IOC-UNESCO) and Julia Rubeck (DG MARE), with the esteemed support of Madina Begmatova and Aya Khalil (IOC-UNESCO), and the institutional guidance of Felix Leinemann (DG MARE) and Julian Barbière (IOC-UNESCO). Valuable experiences and lessons emerged from the international MSPforums organised by DG MARE and IOC-UNESCO with the support of national and regional authorities as well as regional partners in Brussels (2018), La Réunion (2019), Vigo (2019) and Riga (2019). Other international events also provided input, such as the UN Ocean Conference in New York (2017), the GEF International Waters Conference in Marrakech (2018), the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi (2018) and the EU-China Summit (2019). Important milestones and discussions also took place in the context of the Our Ocean conferences in Malta (2017) and Oslo (2019) and through dedicated workshops at the European Maritime Days in Burgas (2018) and Lisbon (2019). A young generation of planners, Erasmus Mundus alumni, provided input and recommendations for the guide and supported DG MARE and IOC-UNESCO with the organisation of all the international events and forums mentioned above. A very special thanks to all the women and men working in aquaculture, biotechnology, conservation, fisheries, defence, energy, insurance, law, research, tourism, transport, police, ports, security and rescue, public and private companies and NGOs for their constant support and diversity of contributions in advancing MSP implementation globally. The guide has benefitted from the support and commitment of all MSPglobal beneficiary and partner countries in the Western Mediterranean: Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, the Union for the Mediterranean and the PAP/RAC; and in the Southeast Pacific: Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific. The support provided by the Government of Sweden to the Joint Roadmap between 2018 and 2020 was instrumental in multiplying the number of training courses, institutional and technical workshops dedicated to marine spatial planning, sustainable blue economy, coastal risk management and ocean literacy, involving national authorities, officials and experts from more than 50 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States. The training activities included the board game “MSP Challenge” kindly donated by the Government of the Netherlands in support of the Joint Roadmap. Other regional perspectives enriched the diversity of contributions from other continents through collaboration with the following regional organisations: Africa (Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions, WIOMSA), Antarctic (Antarctic Treaty, CCAMLR), Arctic (PAME), Baltic Sea (HELCOM-VASAB), Caribbean (CEP), Caspian Sea (CEP), Mediterranean (MAP), Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR), Northwest Pacific (NOWPAP), Pacific (SPREP) and Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA). The following initiatives and projects have contributed to this publication with the identification of experiences and lessons learned in their beneficiary countries: the European MSP Platform, ADRIPLAN, AQUACROSS, Baltic LINes, Baltic Scope, BlueMED, Blue Solutions Initiative, BRESEP, Strengthening the Management and Protection of Marine Biodiversity, LME:LEARN, MamiWata, MarSP, MARSPLAN BS, MASPNOSE, MARISMA, MSPMED, MULTIFRAME, MUSES, MUSICA, Ocean Metiss, PADDLE, Pan Baltic Scope, PANORAMA, PLASMAR+, SEANSE, SIMAtlantic, SIMCelt, SIMNORAT, SIMWESTMED, SPINCAM, Strong High Seas, SUPREME, THAL-CHOR, and TPEA. This guide would not have been possible without the impressive participatory process that has accompanied it. All activities organised by MSPglobal were co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund of the European Union and received the institutional support of the European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA).