Country information
Basic facts on marine waters
- Territorial Sea: 6 nautical miles (nm) of breadth in the Aegean Sea. 12nm of breadth in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea
- Exclusive Economic Zone: Approximately 172,522 km² in the Black Sea, as delimited by agreement between the littoral states. N/A in the Mediterranean Sea. Pending delimitation in the Aegean Sea. Continental Shelf: Approximately 172,522 km2 in the Black Sea, asdelimited by agreement between the littoral states. Approximately 163,000 km² in the Mediterranean Sea, outer limits of which were declared to the UN via letter dated 18 March 2020 (A/74/757). Pending delimitation in the Aegean Sea.
Strategic documents related to MSP
- Turkish Coastal Law No. 3621 (1984)
- Environmental Law No. 2872 (1983)
- Fisheries Law No. 1380 (1971)
- National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2011, updated 2023)
- Sustainable Blue Economy Action Plan (Blue Plan) (2025)
Technical resources related to MSP
Relevant MSP projects
- Addressing Invasive Alien Species Threats at Key Marine Biodiversity Areas Project
- Black Sea CONNECT
- Blue Economy and Marine Spatial Planning Project
- Development of a National Hydrological, Water Quality, and Ecological Modeling Tool for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources Project
- Marmara Sea Integrated Modeling System (MARMOD) Project
Current status of MSP
Name of the plan |
Marine Spatial Plan of Republic of Türkiye |
|---|---|
Year of approval
|
N/A |
Size of planning area in km²
|
Underway |
Authority leading the MSP process
|
The Presidency of Republic of Türkiye |
Current status |
|
|---|---|
Pre-planning
|
Completed |
Assessments for planning
|
Completed |
Plan development
|
Completed |
Plan completion
|
Completed |
Plan approval
|
Underway |
Plan implementation
|
Underway |
Plan review
|
N/A |
MSP Typology |
|
|---|---|
Scale (Local/ Sub-national/ National)
|
National |
Scope (Coastal Zone /Coastal and Marine /Marine)
|
Coastal and Marine |
Purpose (Strategic /Zoning /Comprehensive)
|
Comprehensive |
Political commitment (Informal /Executive decision / Legal statute)
|
Executive decision |
Implementation framework (Guiding /Legally binding)
|
Guiding |
Main objectives (Biodiversity conservation / Economic development / Multiple objectives)
|
Multiple objectives |
Spatial allocation (Limited / Partial allocation /Detailed allocation)
|
Partial allocation |
Stakeholders involved (Limited /Key sectors /Sectors & Public)
|
Sectors & Public |
Participatory process (Informative /Consultative /Collaborative)
|
Consultative |
Funding (Government /Public-Private /Grants)
|
Government |
National authority in charge of MSP |
The Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye |
Governmental funding |
Yes |
External funding |
No |
Public-Private funding |
No |
Total size of planning area |
Underway |
Time required to complete the planning document |
3 years |
Main issues that led to the adoption of MSP (drivers) |
Regulating all coastal and sea uses, tapping into marine economic resources and compliance with environmental |
Stakeholder engagement activities |
Türkiye MSP Platform, led by Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM), coordinated the MSP process with all public and private stakeholders, especially with the relevant ministries. Several coordination meetings held with the participation of senior representatives from key ministries, the military, maritime authorities, academic institutions, and industry organizations. Türkiye MSP Platform monitors international developments, addresses legal, technical, and economic aspects of MSP processes and promotes inter-institutional collaboration. Türkiye MSP Platform plays a vital role in ensuring stakeholder engagement in MSP, integrating diverse sectoral interests into national maritime policies, and advancing Türkiye’s sustainable blue economy objectives in line with international standards. |
Sectors included in planning |
Fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and marine tourism, oil and gas exploration, offshore renewable energy, maritime transport and ports, marine and coastal protected areas, underwater cultural heritage, military training areas etc. |
Articulation between MSP and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (IZCM) |
The MSP includes a specific section on land-sea interactions and takes into account the integrated coastal zone plans developed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Republic of Türkiye. |
Articulation between MSP and marine conservation (including the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework) |
N/A |
Articulation between MSP and sustainable blue economy |
The Sustainable Blue Economy Plan, with Marine Spatial Planning, has set goals such as reducing conflicts and building synergy between different activities in marine areas; encouraging investment through predictability, transparency and legal foundations; increasing cross-border cooperation between countries for the development of renewable energy, regulation of shipping lines, pipelines, submarine cables and similar investments; identifying opportunities for multiple uses of the area by determining the areas to be protected and calculating the effects on ecosystems. With the plan, the potential of coastal areas, which are the intersection of land and sea areas, will be demonstrated and their management and planning will be ensured within the framework of the protection-utilization balance. |
Articulation between MSP and climate change (including the Paris Agreement) |
Türkiye has developed comprehensive climate strategies and action plans (2010–2023) to address climate change, focusing on mitigation, adaptation, and sector-specific measures across areas like energy, transportation, agriculture, and public health. Oceanographic and climate research is led by key institutions such as METU, Istanbul University, and Dokuz Eylül University, with METU’s Institute of Marine Sciences maintaining Türkiye’s most extensive oceanographic dataset. This data, aligned with EU standards, supports climate modeling and ocean forecasting, serving as a critical input for MSP and long-term decision-making. |
Plan approval process |
Underway |
Legal status of the plan (guiding or legally binding) |
Guiding |
Plan review process |
N/A |
Performance monitoring and evaluation |
Under development |
Interactions with neighbouring countries in the context of MSP attending transboundary coherence approaches |
N/A |
Legal framework
A national MSP legislation has not been adopted yet. However, several regulatory frameworks are relevant to spatial planning in maritime areas including, but not limited to, Presidential Degree No.1, Turkish Coastal Law No. 3621 (1984), Environmental Law No. 2872 (1983), Fisheries Law No. 1380 (1971), National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2011, updated 2023) and Sustainable Blue Economy Action Plan (Blue Plan) (2025).
Contact
Deputy Directorate General for the Northeastern Mediterranean – II, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye