During 2024, MSPglobal 2.0 has been piloting a new Rapid Assessment Methodology for Marine Spatial Planning with five beneficiary countries from its pilots in the Gulf of Guinea and the Western Pacific.
Many countries wish to engage in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) but face difficulties defining a clear pathway towards developing such a policy. Therefore, MSPglobal developed a new Rapid Assessment Methodology (RAM) to help authorities develop a concrete Action Plan to advance their own MSP processes.
After the conclusion of this piloting phase, the RAM will be a guiding publication made available to MSP practitioners. Its method can be implemented by countries at any stage of the MSP process and at both local and national level. It consists of the following three steps:
- Identification of all existing MSP-related initiatives
- Review of the status of the six MSP phases, understanding how these initiatives have contributed to the process
- Co-develop an MSP Action Plan to move forward
The RAM has been piloted in the Gulf of Guinea (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo) and the Western Pacific (Thailand) in the framework of the pilot projects of the respective regions. During in-person workshops in each country, the first and second steps of the RAM were reviewed before concluding the final step, namely the co-development of an MSP Action Plan.
Piloting the RAM in the Gulf of Guinea
In the Gulf of Guinea region, the RAM was implemented in Ghana (from 29-30 April), Togo (from 02-03 May), Benin (27-28 May), and Côte d’Ivoire (30-31 May). In each country, the two-day in-person workshop was held in the countries’ respective capital, and witnessed the presence of key national institutions to discuss the three steps of the RAM. The implementation was led in Ghana by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advisory Unit at the office of the President, in Togo by the University of Lome and the High Council for the Sea (HCM), in Benin by the Ministry of Living Environment and Transport (MCVT), and in Côte d’Ivoire by the Ivorian Anti-Pollution Centre (CIAPOL).
The development of the first step of the RAM helped to map out 19 MSP-related initiatives In Ghana, 14 in Togo, 14 in Benin, and 14 in Côte d’Ivoire, since 1990. Most of these initiatives have a regional scope with an accent on integrated coastal zone management and the fishery sector. Notably, while the initiative on “Combating Living Resource Depletion and Coastal Area Degradation in the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) through Ecosystem-based Regional Actions” has paved the way to sustainable ocean governance in the region through transboundary actions, the “MAMI WATTA” initiative that ran from 2018 through 2020 has laid the foundation to the MSP concept and practice in the region with implementation in Ghana, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire. Togo has built on the experience of the neighbours to equally devote to MSP actions. Ghana is currently one of the 18 countries of the “Ocean Panel” initiative that has committed to sustainably manage 100% of the ocean under national jurisdiction by 2025 through concrete actions, including the development and implementation of Sustainable Ocean Plans.
An evaluation of the status of MSP phases in the second step highlighted existing efforts in each country, that need empowerment to foster the development and implementation of MSP; these efforts have included the legal, policy, and institutional frameworks and several sciences-derived elements output from identified initiatives such as the reports on country’s marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) and State of Marine Environment (SoME). A set of recommendations were pointed out by the participants from the respective countries, with the view of providing momentum to advance national MSP development.
These recommendations were later translated into concrete actions in the third step of the RAM. The participants identified and drafted together on actions relevant to advancing MSP development in the countries. Key actions shared by all countries have included among others, the institutionalisation of MSP, development of MSP capacities, the setup of national coastal and marine spatial data infrastructure, etc. These actions have been compiled in respective National Action Plans for each country, to be available soon.
Piloting the RAM in the Western Pacific
In the Western Pacific region, the RAM was implemented in Bangkok, Thailand (19-20 June). Participants included personnel from agencies involved in Thailand’s National Marine Spatial Planning Commission, comprising 30 agencies and experts responsible for conserving and utilizing the country’s marine and coastal spaces and resources. This commission was appointed by the National Committee on the Protection of Maritime National Interests and is tasked with formulating policies and plans to guide the country’s MSP efforts.
During the workshop sessions, 14 existing MSP-related initiatives in Thailand were discussed to enhance the understanding of the country’s MSP phases. The event also facilitated the collaborative development of an MSP Action Plan with national experts and the formulation of recommendations for best MSP practices in Thailand. These recommendations will be presented by the national MSP committee at its upcoming meeting in August 2024.
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MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org