Marine spatial planning: Lessons learned from the Portuguese debate

This paper presents and discusses legal, methodological and political frameworks for the development of the proposed Portuguese Marine Spatial Plan initiated in 2008. It considers lessons learned and is informed by discussions that have taken place since publication of the ‘Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU’. New goals are based on horizontal planning tools that cut across sea-related sectoral policies and support joined up policy making. It is in this context that Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) emerged as an essential process for sustainable decision making. The OSPAR Commission undertook an overview of national planning systems within its administrative boundaries, which confirmed spatial plans reduced conflicts. However, problems exist accessing good quality data and dealing with entrenched sectoral views. Furthermore, the transboundary nature of marine resources requires cooperation between neighbouring states. In 2006, Portugal developed a ‘National Sea Strategy’ that recognized the importance of developing its maritime space while valuing marine habitats and biodiversity. MSP development of the Portuguese sea commenced in 2008 and findings are now evaluated. They showed adaptation of existing tools to be possible and desirable, provided undertaken cautiously and found conceptual ambiguities were barriers to conflict resolution. Furthermore they showed management strategies should be designed and analysed on a case by case basis, recognising temporal and spatial variations.     

Marine spatial planning in the high seas

Although high seas resources are being exploited, reciprocal legal obligations to protect its environment have not been met. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is clearly a practical way forward, particularly for the high seas, where non-spatial monitoring is difficult, and where data gaps obstruct conventional management approaches. To ensure the effective application of MSP in the high seas, however, some institutional reforms are necessary. This paper outlines the main hurdles, summarizes existing high seas spatial protections, presents an example of a high seas marine protected area that resulted through MSP, identifies three institutional priorities, and suggests three immediate steps.     

Marine spatial planning in the Middle East: Crossing the policy-planning divide

Many countries have begun marine spatial planning (MSP) efforts in the past decade and much academic and professional literature reviews and analyzes these processes. Relevant research that can contribute greatly to new efforts at MSP compares efforts, both recent and historical, with ideals set for spatial planning processes. This research addresses the extent to which paradigms from the planning practice and the policy field can be relevant for the MSP context. It does so by analyzing the interim products of an MSP process addressing the Mediterranean Sea area in the waters adjacent to the State of Israel. Results emphasize the potential contribution of public policy analysis and planning to critique outcomes of the MSP process with the aim of improving outcomes and devising best practices. This type of analysis can inform MSP as it becomes an accepted practice as a mainstream tool in the field of environmental planning. The complexity and challenge of spatial planning when policy foundations are minimal is highlighted in the results.     

厦门第二轮海岸带综合管理战略行动计划研究

海岸带综合管理被广泛认为是实现海岸带社会经济与生态环境可持续发展的重要途径之一.本文运用海岸带综合管理（ICM）的相关理论,结合厦门海岸带管理面临的实际问题, 在对厦门第一轮ICM执行情况进行充分回顾、评估的基础上,对厦门第二轮ICM面临的主要问题、涉及的优先领域及主要目标进行了分析研究;并在此基础上形成了厦门第二轮海岸带综合管理的战略行动计划.     

Marine ecosystem management: Fish abundance and size under exploitation

This study is targeted on policy makers and environmental scientists to illustrate the typical historical scale of depletion of our fish stocks, and what current and emerging legislation might mean for fisheries management and the metrics of fish stocks. The population demography of the Bristol Channel sole is described since 1820. Their decline in abundance, and change in length compositions, are modelled. By 2000, the mature stock had been depleted to less than 5% of its original size, and larger sole were rarely caught. The implications of maximum sustainable yield targets, and of good environmental status, are examined.     

中国海洋科学技术发展70年

本文聚焦海洋调查、海洋科学研究和海洋技术与装备3个方面,梳理和总结了新中国成立70年来取得的具有里程碑意义和国内外影响力的海洋科技成果,说明了海洋科技实力的大幅度提升,对于中国经济社会发展以及海洋强国建设起到了关键支撑作用。     

The diversity of harmful algal blooms: a challenge for science and management

A broad spectrum of events come under the category of harmful algal blooms (HABs), the common denominator being a negative impact on human activities. Harmful algal blooms involve a wide diversity of organisms, bloom dynamics, and mechanisms of impact. Here we review the effects of natural and man-induced environmental fluctuations on the frequency and apparent spreading of these phenomena. This article highlights the need for interdisciplinary research aimed at shedding light on basic mechanisms governing the occurrence and succession of microalgae in coastal seas. Information integrated from various discipline coupled with improved, sustained monitoring systems, will help predict and manage problems caused by HABs over a wide range of space and time scales.     

Marine protected areas: a tool for integrated coastal management in Belize

Management of the Belize Barrier Reef was originally envisioned through the creation of marine protected areas. However, the influence of land-based activities was not accounted for in Marine Protected Area (MPA) programs. Therefore focus was shifted to an integrated approach via Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). The Belize ICM process has evolved into a system of coordination through the fostering of multi-sectoral linkages for integrated management of coastal resources. Marine protected areas were included in the ICM program as tools for achieving biodiversity protection and management of sensitive habitats. The ICM process has resulted in greater coordination and consultation in decision making for coastal resource issues, the MPA program however has not evolved with the trend of greater community involvement in MPA management. The greatest challenges to MPA and ICM programs in the next 10 years are: improved linkages between the two, fostering of community participation in management, broadening of the scope of ICM to watersheds and ocean governance, and sustainable financing for both programs.     

Towards integrated coastal management in Solomon Islands: Identifying strategic issues for governance reform

This paper evaluates governance arrangements in Solomon Islands in terms of their ability to achieve the integrated management of coastal environments. The paper uses a modified version of the framework proposed by Ehler CN [Indicators in measure governance performance in integrated coastal management. Ocean & Coastal Management 2003; 46: 335–345] for evaluating governance performance. The results point to a systemic failure of coastal governance in Solomon Islands. The paper identifies the strategic issues for governance reform if the management of coastal environments and resources in Solomon Islands is to be improved.     

Marine science and blue growth: Assessing the marine academic production of 123 cities and territories worldwide

The role of academic research in the economic growth process has been widely considered over the last two decades in the theoretical and empirical literature, particularly around the concept of knowledge-based economy. Meanwhile, the very recent notion of “blue growth” and the significant development potential related to marine environments have gained more and more concern for policy makers on different scales. It is therefore interesting to assess the academic research related to marine issues, owing to its potential contribution to this dynamics growth through knowledge transfers and academic spillovers. This paper provides a global evaluation of the marine academic production, using a spatialized, open and transdisciplinary approach. In particular, this approach is to mobilize indicators to assess scientific production, transpose it to the territorial scale and make a global comparison of “research territories” in the case of marine science, with a specific focus on European cities. The results show that the five main centres are Tokyo (Japan), Paris (France), San Diego (USA), Moscow (Russia) and Woods Hole (USA). A dense European territorial coverage in marine science centres also appears, and new world major centres such as Chinese and Brazilian ones emerge.     

The ecosystem framework for planning and management the Atlantic coast of Guatemala

The Amatique Bay is an estuarine ecosystem with great ecological and socioeconomics value due to its diversity of environments, biotic resources and the human activities it supports. However, until the mid-1990’s, the absense of planning and use of ecological criteria in its development have resulted in the environmental deterioration of the ecosystem and its resources. In this constribution the most important ecological aspects of the ecosystem, its economical development, environmental problems, and guidelines for its management are analyzed, putting the ecosystem as focus for planning and management of the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala. The approach enables the analysis of the sectorial levels including tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture and livestock farming, urbanization, oil-related activities, ports and means of communications, and finally the integration of these activities into the ecosystem and habitats in the region providing management guidelines. In conclusion, it is recommended that the integrated management plan for the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala be grounded in a development strategy based on scientific knowledge, integrating the ecosystem, the economics, and the policy, geared towards the solutions of the priority problem and definition of planning and development policies.     

Marine ecosystem approaches to management: challenges and lessons in the United States

This study examined how the United States’ largest marine resource management agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has begun to change its management strategy away from traditional marine resource management approaches towards an Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM). Surveys were conducted with 57 NOAA scientists and resource managers in nine NOAA programs in 8 different geographic regions across the United States in 2005. A qualitative analysis examined the attitudes and experiences of participants with respect to implementing EAM and identified four major challenges to enhancing cooperation and understanding of EAM. We conclude with recommendations for concrete initiatives that future efforts in EAM that any management agency can undertake to facilitate further ecosystem management opportunities.     

Marine ecosystem-based management in the Southern Cone of South America: Stakeholder perceptions and lessons for implementation

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has recently received considerable attention. However, examples of empirical approaches to marine EBM are scarce. Therefore, empirical information on the presence of EBM elements within existing policies and the way they may provide settings and lessons for EBM implementation is timely. This study analyses stakeholders’ perceptions on the existence of EBM principles in current marine management practices and policies, and how they determine perceptions for success and satisfaction regarding coastal management within selected case studies drawn from four developing countries in the Southern Cone of South America. Patterns of response across study sites show that although EBM principles as such are not explicitly included in management/conservation plans, there are policies (mainly local), which generate conditions for more explicit inclusion of them. These are based on participatory bottom-up planning, place-based management and consensus reaching: all elements included within the theoretical literature on EBM implementation.     

Marine protected areas in Japan: Institutional background and management framework

Information on the location and area for all MPAs in Japan was collected through a comprehensive survey targeting government officials and local stakeholders. It was verified that at least 1161 MPAs exist in Japan. Of these, 1055 are implemented in conjunction with fishery regulations in the form of no-take zones. More than 30% of the individual MPAs in Japan were established by self-imposed instruments agreed by members of fishery co-management organizations. It was suggested that the autonomous MPAs are not a product of simple altruism, but rather are logical extensions of the tenure system guaranteed by the government legal system.