On the 22nd and 23rd of May 2024, MSPglobal 2.0 facilitated a training in China to develop capacities for implementing Marine Spatial Planning in Guangxi Province. About 50 participants from local authorities such as the Guangxi Oceanic Administration and the Oceanic Bureaus of three cities (Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Beihai) took part in the event.
The two-day training on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Guangxi, China, was organised by UNESCO-IOC and its Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC), the Fourth Institute of Oceanography, and the Guangxi Oceanic Administration, with the support of the European Commission, the First Institute of Oceanography and the China Oceanic Development Foundation. The training took place within the MSPglobal 2.0 pilot project in the Western Pacific as well as within a UN Ocean Decade Action 21 dedicated to accelerating MSP in the Western Pacific.
The first day started with a special ceremony in which a plaque was unveiled celebrating Qinzhou, a coastal city in Guangxi, as a designated MSP demonstration site. This was a concrete action taken in the framework of the UN Ocean Decade Action 21, aiming to develop such hubs to spearhead MSP practices in the region.
Right after the unveiling ceremony, it was time to dive into MSP and the steps required for a successful implementation. The training was based on the six MSP phases defined by the MSPglobal Guide. To begin with, the basics of MSP were laid out, followed by sessions on the inclusive and participatory approach to MSP, data and assessments for MSP, the sustainable blue economy & MSP, marine protection and restoration & MSP, as well as climate-smart MSP.
Moreover, the participants got to play the educative and interactive MSP Challenge which is a board game developed to learn the complex relations between marine-related activities and MSP. Find a more detailed step-to-step description of the several phases of the game on our Instagram channel: 1) Vision 2) Sectoral Planning 3) Integrated Planning and lastly 4) Sustainable Development Goals.
Panel on MSP-related initiatives in Guangxi
The highlight of the last day was a panel on MSP-related initiatives in Guangxi moderated by Zhiwei Zhang (WESTPAC). The panellists were Qingxian Cao from the Guangxi Ocean Institute, Yifan Zhang from the Guangdong Research Center for Marine Planning and Development, and Xin Zhou from the Second Institute of Oceanography (MNR). One of the main points of discussion was the integration of the land and sea interactions when developing territorial spatial planning in China because the planning system is undergoing reform aiming at “one map” of the land and sea.
All in all, the training confirmed the region’s extensive experience in MSP which in combination with the Qinzhou demonstration site will lead to further use and application of the MSPglobal Guide, adjusting it to the local context. The goal is the development of further Marine and Coastal Plans in the near future, thus increasing experience with MSP in the region.
DOCUMENTS:
- Agenda
- Introduction to MSP
- How to set the scene and design the MSP process
- An inclusive and participatory approach for MSP
- Data and assessments for MSP
- Transboundary cooperation on MSP
- MSP & Sustainable Blue Economy
- Climate-smart MSP
- MSP & Marine Protection and Restoration
- Hands-on: MSP Challenge board game
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CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org