Workshop on Climate Change Considerations in Marine Spatial Planning (WKCCCMSP; outputs from 2023 meeting)

Despite high confidence in global evidence on the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and dependant economic sectors, and global aspiration to create marine planning processes that are climate-adaptive, implementation of climate-smart plans is still scarce. Collaborations between marine climate scientists, marine planning community and broader policy communities are seen as key accelerators of that ambition. Through the ICES Working Group on Marine Planning and Coastal Zone Management (WGMPCZM), a Workshop on Climate Change Considerations in Marine Spatial Planning (WKCCCMSP) explored the linkages between climate change and marine planning at policy, planning, and implementation level, through the differing perspectives of marine planners’ and, marine climate change experts.

The workshop outputs address how climate change affects the development and implementation of Marine Spatial Planning, as a result of the redistribution of marine biodiversity and human activities. Marine Spatial Plans around Europe and the globe present an opportunity to address the causes of climate change (mitigation) as well as its impacts (adaptation). The workshop explored how climate change adaptation and mitigation are being captured by marine planning processes, by learning of practical examples of relevant approaches and frameworks, for example decision support tools, participatory methods, science-policy communication. The workshop also assessed the potential for marine spatial planning to support the wider delivery of climate action (adaptation and mitigation) in international waters.

The findings of the workshop will be published as a scientific paper that aims to express a joint perspective between climate change researchers and marine planning practitioners, of their knowledge shared during the workshop, to enable others to now accelerate the implementation of climate smart plans.