Biogeographic assessments: A framework for information synthesis in marine spatial planning |
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| Institution: | 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment, Biogeography Branch SSMC4, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States;2. Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy Research, Marine Institute, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom;3. CSS-Dynamac Inc., 10301 Democracy Lane, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030, United States;1. School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, NE17RU UK;2. School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, NE17RU UK;1. Department of Geography and Planning, Gordon Stephenson Building, University of Liverpool,L69 7ZQ Liverpool, United Kingdom;2. Centre for Environment and Sustainability Research (COAST) of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, P.O. Box 2503, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany;3. Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW), Seestrasse 15, 18119 Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany |
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| Abstract: | This paper presents the Biogeographic Assessment Framework (BAF), a decision support process for marine spatial planning (MSP), developed through two decades of close collaborations between scientists and marine managers. Spatial planning is a considerable challenge for marine stewardship agencies because of the need to synthesize information on complex socio-ecological patterns across geographically broad spatial scales. This challenge is compounded by relatively short time-frames for implementation and limited financial and technological resources. To address this pragmatically, BAF provides a rapid, flexible and multi-disciplinary approach to integrate geospatial information into formats and visualization tools readily useable for spatial planning. Central to BAF is four sequential components: (1) Planning; (2) Data Evaluation; (3) Ecosystem Characterization; and (4) Management Applications. The framework has been applied to support the development of several marine spatial plans in the United States and Territories. This paper describes the structure of the BAF framework and the associated analytical techniques. Two management applications are provided to demonstrate the utility of BAF in supporting decision making in MSP. |
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| Keywords: | Coastal and marine spatial planning Spatial predictive modeling Human uses Ecosystem-based management Seascape ecology |
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