The vital role of the ocean in combatting our planetary crises — including biodiversity loss and climate change — is increasingly recognized. Ocean-based climate mitigation and adaptation actions will be critical in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, due to the increasing usage of marine space and associated environmental pressures, a holistic multi-objective approach to planning and managing our seas and ocean is ever more urgent.
Marine Spatial Planning (also called ocean planning, maritime spatial planning or MSP for short) has emerged in the last two decades as a streamlined, multi-stakeholder public and participatory process. It uses an evidence-based approach to engage and inform an ocean constituency and improve coordination among marine stakeholders. MSP can also be used to minimize cross-sector conflicts, tap into synergies and encourage decision-making that is based on the best available science and relevant information.
While there is considerable effort already ongoing to develop and implement MSP worldwide, there is an urgent need to ensure that MSP is “climate-smart”. The impacts of climate change on the ocean — including ocean warming and acidification and sea-level rise — will alter current ocean conditions, leading to a redistribution of marine ecosystem goods and services.
