Marine Spatial Planning

Marine Spatial Planning is a process used to plan the use and development of coastal and marine areas. This is a public, stakeholder-driven and science-based process that involves mapping out different activities and uses in a specific marine area, such as shipping lanes, fishing grounds, and renewable energy sites, and then determining how they can best coexist and be managed sustainably. 

 

The goal of Marine Spatial Planning is to balance the competing demands on marine resources and to ensure that they are used in a way that is environmentally responsible, economically beneficial, and socially equitable. Marine Spatial Planning also helps to identify important marine habitats and species that need protection, and to plan for potential impacts of climate change on the marine environment.

 

It is a public participatory process that uses the best available information about the natural environment and human activities (such as fishing, shipping, renewable energy, aquaculture, and infrastructure) to direct how we plan for future use and conservation of ocean space.

 

The Waitt Institute team includes experts in the science, policy, legal, and communications fields. We bring our technical expertise to support our government partners in developing and implementing Marine Spatial Plans, in support of a more sustainable future for our ocean.