Stakeholder meetings in the Gulf of Guayaquil allowed local actors to contribute to the MSPglobal pilot project in the Southeast Pacific and identification of opportunities and challenges in this cross-border/transboundary area between Peru and Ecuador.
These gatherings took place in Tumbes (Peru) on 14 February 2020 and Puerto Bolívar (Ecuador) on 17 February 2020 with stakeholders from governmental and private bodies in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, ports, defense, environment and planning. In total, MSPglobal interacted with more than 50 people over the course of the two days.
They were introduced to the concepts of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Sustainable Blue Economy, with the related stakes and issues within their respective country, as well as the MSPglobal mapping exercise in the Gulf of Guayaquil.
In Tumbes, the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DIHIDRONAV) presented the Peruvian National Maritime Policy 2019-2030 while in Puerto Bolívar, the Technical Secretariat of Planning of Ecuador presented the Coastal and Marine Spatial Plan 2017-2030.
After this briefing, the stakeholders were actively engaged in different activities:
- Each actor described their maritime activity to the others, explaining current sectoral challenges and opportunities
- Actors reviewed the data compiled by the project so far and gave suggestions on how to improve the developed maps
- They also discussed conflicts and synergies among sectors
- Lastly, they developed recommendations for the MSP process in the region
Actors acknowledged the initiative and the opportunity to take part in it; it is the third visit of the MSPglobal team in the area, after January and June 2019. The information they provided will be included in the coming MSPglobal technical report on current conditions of the coastal and marine environment of the Gulf of Guayaquil.
The pilot project in the Southeast Pacific aims to support the development of the pre-planning phase of MSP processes in both countries, taking into account the transboundary aspects of the Gulf of Guayaquil, which is a potential zone for the creation of a transboundary Biosphere Reserve.
DOCUMENTS:
Tumbes – Introduction and progress of the MSPglobal pilot project in the Gulf of Guayaquil
Tumbes – Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DIHIDRONAV)
Puerto Bolívar – Introduction and progress of the MSPglobal pilot project in the Gulf of Guayaquil
RELATED LINKS:
Increasing knowledge and understanding of Marine Spatial Planning in Peru
Discovering the Gulf of Guayaquil with the local community
MSPglobal pilot project in the Southeast Pacific
CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org