Both events are co-organised with the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Port of Barcelona. More than 500 participants from over 90 countries registered to attend the events.

Th 5th MSPforum kick-started the series of events on 21st of November 2022. Representatives from International, Spanish and local authorities opened the forum highlighting the importance of cooperation in the context of transboundary MSP and sustainable blue economy. The MSPforum provides an interactive platform to enable exchanges and debate between the actors of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), facilitating its implementation worldwide.

MSP is nevertheless a process involving not only planners, but also academics, industry, NGOs, civil society, and others. The 3rd International Conference on MSP (22-23 November 2022) offers these diverse actors the unique opportunity to take stock of existing experiences in MSP and exchange best practices. The Conference is also an excellent opportunity to encourage cooperation among countries sharing coastal and marine waters and establish priorities for the future.

In their opening remarks, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, and Mr. Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC-UNESCO Executive Secretary, highlighted the long-standing collaboration between the two institutions. The shared objective of creating a global community of marine planning experts and practitioners started with the adoption of the MSProadmap in 2017 and will continue with the Updated Joint Roadmap to accelerate Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning worldwide through 2022-2027.

Commissioner Sinkevičius underlined the importance of international cooperation on MSP and committed EU support for the implementation of the updated MSProadmap with a budget of 1 Million Euros in 2023.

The 2022 MSPforum and the International Conference both focus on the six priority areas of the updated MSProadmap, which is divided into 3 cross-cutting pillars (knowledge support, capacity development and awareness, transboundary cooperation) and 3 thematic pillars (climate-smart MSP, marine protection and restoration and sustainable blue economy).

Accelerating MSP is among the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030. The ‘Ocean Decade’ aims to support improved ocean planning through a stronger MSP knowledge base, data-sharing tools and infrastructures that integrate socio-economic and environmental data to help create a holistic approach to managing ocean and coastal areas.

The thematic sessions offered forum participants, and will offer conference speakers, the opportunity to discuss how MSP can be a significant planning tool to implement global ocean governance goals, in particular the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. MSP can ensure the sustainable management of the global ocean, while delivering economic growth, jobs and well-being to all.

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About the European Commission’s DG MARE

The Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries develops and carries out the Commission’s policies on maritime affairs and fisheries. DG MARE works to: ensure that the ocean resources are used sustainably and that coastal communities and the fishing sector have a prosperous future; promote maritime policies and stimulate a sustainable blue economy; promote ocean governance at international level.

About the IOC-UNESCO

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development. Since 2006, IOC-UNESCO has developed technical guidance on MSP supported by related capacity development actions in all ocean basins.

The webinar had two main objectives:

• To present and disseminate the conclusions of the guide and toolbox for monitoring, evaluation and revision of MSP developed as a contribution to DG MARE/IOC-UNESCO joint MSProadmap 2017-2022.
• To discuss the relevance of a Community of Practices on Monitoring & Evaluation of MSP.

To open the event and set the scene, Mr. Julian Barbière, Head of Section for Marine Policy and Regional Coordination at the IOC-UNESCO, highlighted that Marine Spatial Planning is an adaptative process that needs to include performance and monitoring evaluations, thus raising the following issue: “When we think about evaluation, why don’t we do it from the start, as it will be more efficient?”

Looking at how the countries are doing it -learning by doing-, it is possible to learn which actions are working, which are not working and why they are not working. He also stated that an active approach to MSP is critical to deal with uncertainties about the future and to incorporate possible changes, like climate, economic or geopolitical ones that may affect the countries and the marine environment. Mr. Barbière informed that there is relatively little research on how the performance of monitoring and evaluation can lead to an improvement of the results and whether the current MSP initiatives are considering measurable essential features. In this sense, it is about recognizing success of MSPs and being able to document how the objectives and targets of the spatial plan are being met.

After Mr. Barbière intervention, it was the turn for Mr. Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), who stated that with this webinar DG MARE wants to share the results of the study they commissioned on tools for the monitoring, evaluation and revision of Maritime Spatial Planning. He also mentioned a report recently published which is a picture in time of the status of Maritime Spatial Planning in Europe. Displaying a short summary, there are 3 groups of coastal Member States in the European Union: States with a tradition in MSP; States which succeeded within the deadline to adopt a maritime spatial plan; and States with no sufficient progress. The report algo goes into the requirements needed for MSP in the European Union. Mr. Leinemann also highlighted that energy at sea mut be improved, thus MSP is an important tool for EU energy transition.

Mr. Sander van der Burg and Mr. Peter Roebeling, from Wageningen University & Research, presented systems and tools for assessment, monitoring and revision of maritime spatial plans, including in the context of the implementation of EU MSP Directive 2014/89/EU. Their presentation can be summed up in the following points:

• There is little guidance on monitoring and evaluation of MSP
• The study developed a Guide, providing guidance on how to monitor and assess MSP, and a Toolbox, offering practical support on methods and tools that can be used.
• The Guide supports selection and formulation of objectives, targets and indicators.
• The Toolbox describes various tools that can be used to collect data relevant in this process.
• The following activities were conducted: in-depth reviews of publications; experts’ interviews to draft a Toolbox and a template for case-studies in Greece, Bulgaria and the Netherlands; and the development of the following develiverables:
  • Guide to monitoring, evaluation and revision of Maritime Spatial Plans
  • Toolbox for monitoring, evaluation and revision of MSP
  • Systems and tools for monitoring, evaluation and revision of maritime spatial plans, including in the context of the implementation of Directive 2014/89/EU

Ms. Kira Gee, from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Germany), displayed a presentation about the project “Emerging ecosystem-based Maritime Spatial Planning topics in North and Baltic Sea Regions (eMSP NBSR)”, which supports the advancement of MSP around Community of Practices. She focused her presentation on two aspects: monitoring and evaluation of national plans and the coherence of those plans.

The event was attended online by 237 people from more than 80 different countries.

Watch the speakers’ presentations below:

DOCUMENTS:
PDF presentation of the webinar
Poll results

RELATED LINKS:
MSProadmap
International MSP Guidance

CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a marine policy that aims to organize and distribute human activities along the coast and ocean spaces, in a sustainable way meant to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives. MSP is a participatory process and to be successfully implemented, it depends on the compliance of all maritime sectors, which should design or adapt sectoral plans and strategies in line with marine spatial plans.

Increasing participation and uptake within the maritime sectors requires building capacities and exchanging knowledge between actors and institutions. This is the objective of a series of regional workshops organized by UNESCO’s IOC and the FAO, entitled “Engaging Blue Ports in Marine Spatial Planning”. The workshops assembled around 100 participants from 26 countries.

For the Executive Secretary of UNESCO’s IOC, Mr. Vladimir Ryabinin, the workshop series had a clear objective of connecting IOC’s and FAO’s networks, and promoting the new International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning among fisheries stakeholders. “The division of labor between organizations of the United Nations system that are involved in ocean matters is continuously becoming more harmonious, and our collaborative efforts in support of the 2030 Agenda maximize the benefit of operational integration of fisheries into ecosystem-based management.”

This collaboration also contributes to the objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), which is a common framework to deliver the ocean science needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

The regional workshops were organized throughout October and early November focused on Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia and Pacific. The workshops formally presented the concepts of Marine Spatial Planning and Blue Ports, and gave regional experts on MSP the opportunity to present inspiring case studies about “good practices on how MSP processes addressed fishing ports” and “port strategies aligned with multisectoral spatial approach”. This series is the result of complementary activities within the context of two initiatives: MSProadmap (IOC) and the Blue Ports Initiative (FAO).

The MSProadmap is a ‘Joint Roadmap to accelerate Maritime/Marine Spatial Planning processes worldwide’ adopted by IOC-UNESCO and the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission (DG MARE). In the last three years, the priority actions of this roadmap (such as the sustainable blue economy) were implemented through the project MSPglobal Initiative, which ended in October 2021 with the publication of the new flagship MSP guide mentioned above. This document was the key reference used in the workshops, which also invited MSP experts – some of them authors and contributors to the new guide – to present and comment the status of MSP in each region.

FAO’s Blue Ports Initiative intends to leverage the strategic position of fishing ports – considered development hubs due to its capacity of influencing their hinterland – in the promotion of a sustainable blue economy. The initiative aims to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security by food quality reinforcement, natural resources conservation through effective marine policies, value chain reinforcement, labor rights compliance and gender equality within maritime sectors.

“In order to allow ports to reach their potential and have a positive impact on their surrounding areas, policies and tools aimed at managing marine and coastal zones are needed. MSP is one of the ways for ports to ensure their viability by considering the different uses of the coastal and maritime zones, as well as their interactions. IOC-UNESCO is doing a great work to transfer and strengthen such capacities to implement MSP in a strategic and operational implementation process to all coastal stakeholders, ports being one of the key actors,” said Mr. Audun Lem, Deputy Director of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, in the opening session of the workshops.

The workshops also included interactive sessions to co-design guidelines on MSP for Blue Ports, in which all participants shared their best practices and lessons learned.

The series of regional workshops “Engaging Blue Ports in Marine Spatial Planning” was co-funded by the Government of Sweden.

Click here to access the key findings of the workshops.

RELATED LINKS:
MSProadmap
MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning
Blue Ports Initiative

CONTACT:
msp-ioc@unesco.org

Opening the event, Mr. Julian Barbière, Head of Section for Marine Policy and Regional Coordination at the IOC-UNESCO, highlighted the role of MSP as a useful and effective vehicle for delivering an ecosystem-based approach (EBA) in the marine environment, recalling the first MSP guide published by the IOC in 2009 titled “Marine Spatial Planning: A Step-by-Step Approach toward Ecosystem-based Management”. Strengthening multidisciplinary efforts for a better understanding of social, economic and environmental drivers will help countries better frame the MSP process in the EBA and move toward sustainable ocean planning. Mr. Barbière concluded by linking the content of this new study to the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), coordinated by IOC-UNESCO, and to the new MSPglobal International Guide on MSP that will be launched during the final conference of the project on 5 October 2021.

Mr. Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), stated that 2021 marks the first year of the full implementation of the MSP Directive (2014) in the European Union, in which the EBA is embedded as a principle. He added that impacts and pressures on the marine environment are cumulative and do not stop at geographical borders, hence the need to continue exchanges on good practices and to learn and coordinate globally. At European scale, the new mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” – launched on the same day of the webinar – will provide around €500 million in seed funding between 2021-2023 to achieve climate neutrality and restore nature, potentially acting as a complement to the Ocean Decade.

The new study on EBA is a toolbox based on European experience but also case studies from other parts of the world. It is the result of two years of research work, workshops and seminars with experts in the field, and will work as a complementary tool to the new MSPglobal International Guide on MSP.

The study was presented by members of the consortium responsible for its development: Dr. Gerjan Piet (Wageningen Marine Research), Mr. Pierre Strosser (ACTeon Environment) and Mr. Tony Zamparutti (Milieu Consulting).

According to a review conducted by the authors of the study, in order to integrate the EBA in the planning process it is necessary to:

• Capture the integrity, functioning and dynamics of marine ecosystems;
• Incorporate human activities and their socio-economic considerations; and
• Organize the MSP process with regard to governance and management.

Indeed, the EBA is translated into actions and considerations throughout the whole MSP process, from initial definitions (i.e. setting the scene and designing the planning process) to following up implementation (i.e. monitoring, evaluation and adaptation).

The study also covered a review of existing tools (presented as factsheets) that can support the operationalization of the EBA. The speakers explained that the amount of information required, as well as the type of scientific disciplines considered, vary among the different tools assessed. However, the tool used in the MSP process needs to be selected based on the context of the planning area.

Concluding remarks from Mr. Leinemann and Mr. Barbière focused on the need to mainstream the EBA in other parts of the world, while highlighting the fact that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. A successful EBA implies to work beyond boundaries – within and outside countries. Existing regional mechanisms (Regional Seas Conventions, Large Marine Ecosystems) and global governance tools (BBNJ, Convention on Biological Diversity, UNFCCC) can provide platforms to promote and implement MSP as a climate-smart solution to relieve stressors on marine ecosystems. Additionally, it is necessary to build stronger science, better integrate data and knowledge, increase capacity and improve the science-policy interface.

More than 150 participants from 50 different countries attended the event.

The study was conducted by the European Commission as a contribution to Priority Action VI of the MSProadmap, and funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

Watch the speakers’ presentations below:

DOCUMENTS:
PDF presentation of the webinar
Poll results

RELATED LINKS:
MSProadmap
International MSP Guidance

CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org

It is ​widely recognized​ that the broad-scale development of offshore renewable energy will play a key role in reducing the emissions needed to meet the decarbonization goals of the Paris Agreement as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Governments are subsequently being called on to ramp up their offshore renewable energy ambitions.

In the framework of the Joint Roadmap to accelerate MSP processes worldwide, and in collaboration with the UNGC, four sprints are taking place in March 2021 to present methods, tools, case studies and best practices for successful integration of offshore renewable energy in MSP stakeholder engagement processes:

• Sprint 1 – Effective knowledge-sharing between policy-science-industry-civil society: the essential foundation for successful MSP: a well-functioning information and knowledge channel between policy-science-industry-civil society is critical for an ​integrated ocean management​ approach to MSP – yet communication and effective knowledge-sharing is still often fraught with challenges;
• Sprint 2 – Cross-sectoral private sector engagement for successful and safe ocean multi-use approaches: the demand for ocean space is rising with ​established users​ (e.g., fishing, tourism, shipping) while ​new users​ (e.g., offshore renewables, offshore aquaculture, seaweed) are rapidly increasing, therefore creating conflicts. Effectively engaging with ocean multi-users is a critical lever for the successful and safer integration of offshore renewables into MSP processes;
• Sprint 3 – Social acceptability and effective engagement with academia, environmental stakeholders and civil society: science-based, transparent, inclusive and effective communication with academia, conservation stakeholders and civil society provides assurance that production from the ocean will go hand in hand with the protection of marine environments and livelihoods;
• Sprint 4 – Governments, public-private cooperation and the development of MSP: presentation of different engagement models and organization for MSP around the world, challenges of cross-sectoral and ministerial planning and associated regulating authorities, as well as respective challenges and benefits of long-term versus short-term planning.

The recommendations to come out of these events will feed into the international MSP guidance under preparation by MSPglobal.

RELATED LINK:
MSProadmap

CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org

The Guide contains information about essential components and subcomponents of marine spatial planning legislation, describing each and highlighting its role and significance. The Guide also provides examples of textual provisions from existing marine spatial planning laws and regulations, along with sample provisions prepared by the authors, to illustrate how legislative or regulatory language can address each component. In addition, the Guide offers tips for legal drafters.

A product of the Blue Prosperity Coalition, this Guide was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and Animals | Environment PLLC (AELaw). The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Waitt Institute, especially Kathryn Mengerink and Vanessa Dick, for their ongoing input and support, and to the Waitt Foundation for its generous funding. A special thank you to all the participants of the Blue Prosperity Workshop on Drafting Legislation to Support Marine Spatial Planning, conducted in Auckland, New Zealand in September 2019, for their invaluable feedback and insights. ELI is also grateful to IUCN Oceania for help in organizing the workshop.

We have prepared a series of short training videos summarizing the main takeaways from each section of the Guide. Below, you can find links to the videos, summaries, and a transcript for each. All the videos are presented by Sofia O’Connor, Staff Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute.

Transcript

Summary: This first video provides an introduction to the Guide, while each subsequent video focuses on one of the eight components outlined in the Guide. The first video explains why it’s important to incorporate marine spatial planning into a country’s legislative framework, who the intended audience is, and how the Guide should be used by legal drafters.

Transcript

Summary: The second video focuses on the 1st, Preliminary, component of marine spatial planning legislation, covered in the Guide. Relevant subcomponents include the short title, definitions (interpretation), scope of the law, objectives, guiding or interpretive principles, and ocean policy.

Transcript

Summary: The third video focuses on the 2nd component of marine spatial planning legislation, Institutional & Administrative provisions. This component addresses the governmental institutions and other entities responsible for administering the law. Key subcomponents include: identifying the ministry or other governmental entity responsible for coordinating planning activities under the law, and any new powers; providing for a marine advisory body; and clarifying the role of traditional institutions in marine spatial planning.

Transcript

Summary: The fourth video focuses on the 3rd component of marine spatial planning legislation, Marine Spatial Planning. Provisions governing the contents of a marine spatial plan and the process for adopting or modifying a marine spatial plan are a crucial part of marine spatial planning legislation. The subcomponents covered here include: plan elements and criteria; zones; plan adoption, modification, and revocation; all ocean areas and uses; plan duration and periodic review; binding effect of a plan; and relationship of the plan to other laws.

Transcript

Summary: The fifth video focuses on the 4th component of marine spatial planning legislation, Public Participation & Access to Information. Effective marine spatial planning depends on successful public engagement. Stakeholder consultations are necessary to understand what uses and restrictions should exist in each zone and how each zone should be delineated. Relevant subcomponents include identifying what information is public, ensuring access to information, and responding to and incorporating public input.

Transcript

Summary: The sixth video focuses on the 5th component of marine spatial planning legislation, Sustainable Funding. Effective management of zoned ocean areas requires a sustainable stream of funding. The task of the legal drafter is to ensure the existence of a workable mechanism for receiving and directing funds that become available – from the full range of potential sources.

Transcript

Summary: The seventh video focuses on the 6th component of marine spatial planning legislation, Enforcement and Compliance. Enforcement mechanisms facilitate compliance with the law and provide the government with ways to respond to violations. To the extent enforcement and evidentiary provisions already exist in a country’s legal framework, the legal drafter should ensure that at least one set of provisions applies to violations of the new MSP law, and consider whether those provisions should be updated. Relevant subcomponents include offenses and penalties; forfeiture; natural resource damages; evidentiary presumptions; citizen suits; and authorized officers.

Transcript

Summary: The eighth video focuses on the 7th component of marine spatial planning legislation, Miscellaneous provisions. This component covers the following subcomponents: Regulations; Data & Monitoring; Conflict Resolution; Regional & International Harmonization; Grandfathering of Existing Activities; Repealers & Savings Clauses; Binding the Crown; and Schedules. Particular attention is given to provisions allowing for the promulgation of Regulations.

Transcript

Summary: The ninth video focuses on the 8th component of marine spatial planning legislation, Traditional Rights & Management. In some countries, indigenous people enjoy rights over certain ocean resources by custom and tradition. In cases where traditional rights and management form part of the legal and policy framework, it is important to take them into account in marine spatial planning legislation.

We have also prepared a self-assessment questionnaire that viewers can use to assess their understanding of the material covered in the educational videos. We hope you have enjoyed the videos.

Please contact us with any questions:
Xiao Recio-Blanco, Director of the Ocean Program – recio-blanco@eli.org
Sofia O’Connor, Staff Attorney – oconnor@eli.org

Article originally published by the Environmental Law Institute/Ocean Program.
This Guide further strengthens the collaboration of the Environmental Law Institute, Blue Prosperity Coalition (led by the Waitt Institute) and IOC-UNESCO in the context of the Joint Roadmap to accelerate MSP processes worldwide.

The event benefitted from the high-level participation of Cabo Verde’s Minister of Maritime Economy, Paulo Veiga, and Minister of Culture and Creative Industries and President of the National Commission of Cabo Verde for UNESCO, Abraão Vicente.

Mr. Veiga stressed the urgent need for the oceanic and archipelagic state to proceed with MSP legislation and implementation to develop its Blue Economy. The process should use the best available science, stakeholder engagement, intersectoral planning, transparent decision-making, consideration of economic and environmental objectives and sustainable financing mechanisms.

For his part, Mr. Vicente affirmed that it is imperative to boost international cooperation in ocean science as well as strengthen collaboration in research and transfer of technology. He emphasized that the Joint Roadmap to accelerate MSP processes worldwide (MSProadmap) and United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) offer Cabo Verde the opportunity to establish relations with other countries and learn from them in the management of marine and coastal space and resources.

Representatives from various national institutions involved in MSP and Blue Economy presented current strategies and processes being developed and implemented while highlighting opportunities and challenges in this regard.

The second part of the event was dedicated to experience sharing with representatives from the regional governments of Madeira and Azores in Portugal on the one hand, and Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on the other.

Click here to access the speakers’ presentations.

The online seminar was co-organized with the National Commission of Cabo Verde for UNESCO and Ministry of Maritime Economy, and co-financed by the Government of Sweden in the context of the MSProadmap and UN Decade of Ocean Science.

RELATED LINKS:
MSProadmap
IOC-UNESCO and European Commission boost development of Marine Spatial Planning and Sustainable Blue Economy worldwide

CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org