MSPglobal: International guide on marine/maritime spatial planning

Published as part of IOC. Manuals and guides, Volume 89, Issue 148.

The MSPglobal Guide is the result of a joint initiative by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, in order to support the development and implementation of marine/maritime spatial planning (MSP) processes worldwide. The purpose of the guide is to assist governments, partners and MSP practitioners globally in the development of marine spatial plans, and to capture the evolution and lessons learned globally on MSP since the first guide was published in 2009 by IOC-UNESCO. The development of MSP as a practice is evolving to address new and emerging issues related to ecosystem-based management of the ocean.

Practically speaking, the application and implementation of MSP varies across geographic scales and jurisdictions, from local to national and transboundary. MSP can take many different forms, from high-level strategic plans to comprehensive plans with detailed implementation actions. MSP can be finalised as a policy document or signed into law and be legally enforceable – this guide is intended to help with the full range of MSP approaches.

The form of MSP that a particular geography may use relates to the current and future needs that the plan aims to address, and the scope and scale of the effort. The best outcomes are reached when marine spatial plans involve all key stakeholders and are coordinated and integrated with sectoral policies and decision-making. In all cases, the defining qualities of MSP indicate that it is a public and participatory process of analysing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives that have been specified through a political process (IOC-UNESCO, 2009). Marine spatial plans are forward-looking; a clear vision and purpose are essential for a well-developed long-term plan.