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Global change challenges coupled natural-human systems such as fisheries social-ecological systems (SES) because they are confined by spatial and functional ecosystem boundaries. Understanding the capacity of an SES to adapt to changing environmental or socio-economic conditions is complex and entails an analysis of the system's properties such as resilience, resistance, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. We used a modified Ostrom framework to structure our analyses and to define the SES components, attributes and indicators of the German mixed demersal fishery SES operating in the southern North Sea. Combining analyses of 20-year time series of environmental and socio-economic data with network analysis and semi-structured interviews allowed for a detailed description of past SES adaptations. Hence, our analysis revealed autonomous adaptations of the SES to environmental and socio-economic change, which entailed a shift in target species, fishing strategies as well as a distinct decrease in number of actors. We found that the adaptive capacity of the SES has declined over time, and that the SES is now on the brink of being unable to withstand future environmental and socio-economic change. It is therefore captured in an undesirable state, reflecting a social-ecological trap where social and environmental feedbacks negatively reinforce each other. The main barriers to the adaptive capacity of the SES are related to fishing cultures, economic structures, policy frameworks and increasing conflicts over the use of marine space. An in-depth understanding of the linkages between the identified key SES components and related indicators is a prerequisite for developing future management approaches to enhance the adaptive capacity of SES to global change. Our findings highlight the need for tailored and context-specific co-management approaches for all decision-making processes affecting SES. [Display omitted] • Global change trials the resistance and resilience of fisheries socio-ecological systems (SES). • We assessed adaptation strategies of a fisheries SES in the southern North Sea. • Autonomous adaptation strategies comprised changes of target species, fishing strategies, and number of actors. • Barriers to adaptation included prevailing fishing cultures, governance structures, and spatial use conflicts. • Understanding the dynamics of SES components enables tailored management approaches to increase adaptive capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an effective means of coordinating sea use conflicts and promoting ecological conservation, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has been well-known by more and more countries. The study has developed an issue-oriented solution for Koh Sichang and its surrounding sea areas in Thailand. Through multi-source data collection and on-site survey, the characteristics of abundant coral reef resources, numerous waterways and mooring areas have been identified. Then, corresponding thematic studies and zoning were conducted, including cassava scatter risk prediction, habitat risk assessment, demarcation of aquaculture priority areas, and scenario analysis. The results show that: (1) Cassava powder accumulates northeast of Koh Sichang and adjacent areas and distributes as high as 84%, with significant diffusion under south wind. Suggest strengthening maritime transport supervision; (2) Human activities have led to a 100% moderate risk for coral reefs around Koh Sichang. While under conservation pattern, the proportion could be reduced to 30%, highlighting the urgency of protective measures; (3) Contrasting the protection and development patterns reveals the double-edged sword effect of the development of tourism and transportation industries on the environment, emphasizing the need to uphold the concept of sustainable development and ecosystem-based management. • An issue-oriented solution for rapid MSP assessment was built. • The probability of cassava powder accumulating northeast of Koh Sichang is as high as 84%. • Human activities have led to a 100% moderate risk for coral reefs around Koh Sichang. • The zoning and suggestions have been adopted by local authorities through trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Directive 2014/89/EU, France completed its first round of maritime spatial planning (MSP) in 2022. It was based on participatory processes involving stakeholders as well as the wider public, using a dedicated online platform on three occasions between 2018 and 2021. Publics were consulted successively on the diagnostic, strategic and operational components of each Regional Maritime Spatial Plan, the so-called Documents Stratégiques de Façade (DSF). The authorities collected more than 4,300 online contributions. However, the authorities did not explain how the public contributions were integrated into the DSFs and how they were analyzed. This article explores this largely untapped, high-quality material. It seeks to understand who participated in the online consultation, what topics and issues were discussed, and what the outcomes were. Finally, this article draws some broader lessons about the participatory process and its inherent difficulty in transcending sectoral issues, and about the impact of participation on marine planning and the inherent difficulty of involving the wider public without rendering stakeholder consultation meaningless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once considered a scientific, technocratic activity, marine governance has shifted from a top down, state directed process toward participatory and deliberative approaches. In parallel, there has been increasing acknowledgment of the need to consider the human dimensions of marine and coastal issues, and the role of citizens in delivering the sustainable management and protection of the marine environment. By doing so, a more complete understanding of the complex relationship between society and the sea may be achieved. Research has shown that marine practitioners recognise that higher levels of civic involvement and citizenship in the management of the marine environment would be beneficial. Despite this, questions are raised as to whether existing governing institutions, legal structures, and planning instruments enable this to readily happen in practice. This paper explores the extent to which existing marine governance instruments are positioned to engender a society of marine citizens to meaningfully engage with marine stewardship behaviours in the UK and Ireland. A multi-phased research approach critically analyses existing relevant legislation, legal and policy frameworks, focusing on themes associated with the human dimensions of marine governance, including marine stewardship. This evaluation highlights a limited inclusion of terms relating to marine stewardship nationally, but recognises the foundations are there a more strategic and cognisant recognition of human-ocean relationships within marine governance across a range of scales and contexts. • Marine governance has shifted from a top-down to a more participatory process. • Practitioners recognise a need for higher civic involvement and citizenship. • Research critically analyses existing instruments for human dimensions. • Recommendations call for explicit inclusion of people in marine governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lacking knowledge concerning the North-Sea's socio-ecological system causes the rapid increase of Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) development to occur under serious uncertainty. Optimising OWF development while minimizing negative effects on the socio-ecological system of the North-Sea thus requires holistic knowledge and its appropriate use in policy. Together with the pressure for OWF development, the subsequently rapid development of an array of scientific knowledge results in a dynamic and multidisciplinary knowledge situation, challenging the integration of knowledge, particularly between research and policy. To ensure policy is based on the latest holistic understanding, knowledge requires integration in strategic Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) policy. While the need for better knowledge processes is widely mentioned as a challenge for MSP, knowledge-integration in MSP remains understudied. This paper responds by studying the role of OWF-related knowledge in MSP while formulating a framework of conditions for knowledge-integration between research and policy in MSP policy and OWF development. These conditions are formulated based on knowledge management and MSP literature and subsequently applied in semi-structured interviews, document research, consortium observations, and focus groups. The case study used for acquiring data is knowledge-integration in Dutch MSP and OWF development. The Dutch maritime area is intensively used and faces important tensions over space due to conflicting stakeholder interests. In addition, while being an early adopter of MSP, the Netherlands also faces serious challenges due to high political pressure promoting Offshore Wind Farm development and a related need for maritime knowledge production. Together with the array of knowledge programs aiming to inform Dutch MSP, this provides a useful case to analyse knowledge-integration in MSP. The framework developed in this paper includes conditions for knowledge-integration ranging from the acceptance of differences between researchers and policymakers, to the need to employ interface managers who can develop a structural and effective knowledge-integration process. Fundamental differences between researchers and policymakers, such as differing timeframes, and differing views on uncertainty were found to form significant risks for knowledge-integration, as such influencing conditions. Additionally, the dynamic, long-term, area specific, and multidisciplinary context of MSP and OWF development was found to significantly influence the knowledge-integration process, underlining the importance of context for knowledge processes. • Science-policy gaps challenge knowledge-integration. • Contexts of knowledge influence conditions for integration. • Uncertainty and interface, require management to improve knowledge-integration. • Interdisciplinarity necessary for holistic knowledge integration in MSP. • Strategic, adaptive, multidisciplinary, and interface as main conditions for integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal and marine ecosystems are under high pressure from multiple activities that take place in coastal areas. Mapping and assessment of ecosystem services are considered essential to support decision-making in policies on the sustainable management of these areas. In this paper, an integrated indicator has been developed and applied to map and assess Recreation Opportunities that are supplied by coastal and marine ecosystems on the Island of Lesvos, North Aegean, Greece, which is an area of great natural wealth and beauty, but it is under numerous threats from various activities that take place within its boundaries. The proposed indicator integrates biophysical, social and managerial aspects of Ecosystem Services (ES) to assess potential ES flow. It is a flexible methodology that utilizes available data and user-friendly geo-technologies and can be used for local scale assessment. A discussion is carried out on the importance of such methodologies for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), and recommendations are made as to how this indicator may be improved. • A composite indicator for mapping and assessing coastal and marine Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES). • Integration of biophysical, social and managerial aspects of Ecosystem Services (ES). • Assessment of coastal recreation opportunities. • Mapping of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) is of high importance for Marine Spatial Planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite frequent calls for Integrated Management (IM) of coastal and marine activities, there is no consensus on the 'recipe' for successful adoption and implementation, and there has been insufficient evaluation of successes and failures of IM to date. The primary rationale for IM is to overcome four major deficiencies of sector-based management: a) management of diverse activities by different agencies using different approaches, b) management generally focused on a subset of primarily ecological objectives that do not properly articulate or evaluate social, cultural, economic and institutional objectives, c) no mechanisms to evaluate or advise on trade-offs among objectives of activities in relation to objectives and d) no mechanisms to evaluate the cumulative effects of all managed activities. To help overcome this gap in knowledge, here we draw on our collective experiences working in Australia and Canada to develop and articulate a framework to help guide the practical implementation and evaluation of IM, which we define as: ' An approach that links (integrates) planning, decision-making and management arrangements across sectors in a unified framework, to enable a more comprehensive view of sustainability and the consideration of cumulative effects and trade-offs.' We argue that IM will be most easily and effectively achieved by linking and modifying existing sector-based plans in an overarching IM initiative that has nine key features: 1) Recognition of need for IM, 2) A shared vision by stakeholders and decision-makers for IM, 3) Appropriate legal and institutional frameworks for coordinated decision-making, 4) Sufficient and effective processes for stakeholder engagement and participation, 5) A common and comprehensive set of operational objectives, 6) Explicit consideration of trade-offs and cumulative impacts, 7) Flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, 8) Processes for ongoing review and refinement, and 9) Effective resourcing, capacity, leadership and tools. Drawing on these features we then articulate a process for the implementation and evaluation of IM that recognises five phases: i) Preconditions and drivers of change, ii) Intentional design and institutional rearrangement, iii) Enablers and disablers iv) An implemented IM process, and v) Review of IM performance and modification. Combination of the nine features of IM with the five phases in IM development provides a framework for implementation and a lens for evaluation of IM processes. We suggest that this framework provides a guide to the appropriate design of practical IM, which will assist in overcoming the current management deficiencies and improve the sustainability of marine resources in the face of change. • Sector-based management cannot adequately address trade-offs and cumulative effects. • Integrated planning and management is required for holistic sustainability. • Integrated Management can build on existing management arrangements across sectors in a unified way. • This paper provides a 'recipe' or framework for successful implementation of Integrated Management. • Nine key features and five phases of implementation provide a lens for evaluation of Integrated Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although a necessary approach in many cases, implementing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) reveals discrepancies between theory and practice. These discrepancies include the major importance given to technical issues along with the role and meaning ascribed to the "spatial" dimension at the expense of the "strategic" one. This gives rise to questions especially from the point of view of fisheries that invite to develop a more in-depth critical analysis of MSP. Far from considering the technical and political dimensions in opposition, the goal is to find out whether the reasoning used can be turned around, or in other words, whether the potential of a mapping instrument can be used to give greater importance and more visibility to strategic questions in MSP processes. Our reflection is based on methods used to map fisheries. It is also enhanced by notions such as empowerment and asserting the value of non-scientific knowledge in-situ. To test the strengths and shortcomings of this idea, it was applied in the context of an ongoing 2010 experiment between scientists (geographers and statisticians), fishers and fishers' representatives in metropolitan France. They have been working together for several years and have gradually expanded their scope to now include almost three-quarters of French metropolitan fleets (around 3250 vessels). This experiment shows that fishers and their representatives are not only able to generate spatial data using robust methods (almost 6000 surveys have already been conducted), but more importantly that they are also able to draw on this knowledge and participate in debates in a more effective manner, taking on the role of "real actors". This has enabled a more political alternative to take shape, full of promise and giving rise to new questions. Highlights • A summary of methods used to map fisheries was established. • A method that enables fishers to assert their knowledge themselves was developed. • Data (6000 surveys) on fishing areas was collected using this method. • This data allowed fishers to participate in the discussions concerning sharing maritime space. • This experiment proved the existence of possible alternatives for rethinking MSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sources of plastics pollution, transport and deposition in Hong Kong are all subject to uncertainty and this characteristic must be mapped if stakeholders are to be made aware of their need for greater involvement in ongoing marine spatial planning and management. We employ geostatistical interpolation as the mapping approach, to enable a wider scale assessment of the spatial distribution of three quantities of interest, denoted by plastics waste , ports shipping intensity and a notional measure we refer to as ecological insecurity to be determined. We generate map layer representations for each of these variables to concentrate the focus of a stakeholder onto their regions of most concern and employ associated uncertainty maps to highlight prioritized regions identified to be above a designated level of certainty. We refer to the resulting map as a Prioritized Area Map (PAM). The PAM approach to characterize marine plastics waste links otherwise disparate stakeholders to ecosystem-based-management, thereby balancing ecological, socio-economic and governance principles across temporal and spatial scales. The PAM approach serves as a generic scoping tool to help assess any marine spatial planning problem. Highlights • Marine Plastics Pollution. • Spatial Uncertainty. • Geostatistical Joint Prioritized Area Mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The EU MSP Directive is an example of a so-called new generation directive, which gives Member States room for adaptation to national contexts. The main objective in this article is to identify and analyse potential obstacles to effective and efficient planning caused by the diversity among national MSP frameworks that the Directive's broad regulatory boundaries have led to. It is shown that planning approaches can differ substantially between neighbouring countries, which can make it challenging to coordinate across national borders. Divergence between national MSP frameworks can also emerge from how political, jurisdictional and, administrative systems and traditions are organised in different Member States. It is shown that neighbouring countries can diverge substantially in how the ecological, economic and social dimensions of sustainability are balanced, which can make transnational coordination challenging. Furthermore, it is shown that stakeholder consultations differ among Member States in terms of, for example, who were invited, how the consultations were undertaken, and the role they play in relation to political decision-making. Because of these, and other differences in how MSP frameworks are being developed in the Member States, it is suggested that regional integration should be promoted with discretion. From this perspective, it seems reasonable to embrace diversity, while simultaneously promoting the adaptive management of coordination problems at lower levels, when, or if, they emerge or can be foreseen. Thus, increased integration of national MSP frameworks should be viewed as an instrument to reduce concrete efficiency losses, rather than as an intrinsic good. Highlights • The broadness of the MSP Directive leads to diverse transposition among countries. • Diversity among national frameworks make transnational coordination challenging. • To respect national diversity, the MSP Directive should coordinate inefficiencies only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sectoral management has long dominated the use of coastal zones in Taiwan. This approach addresses concerns faced by individual sectors. However, it fails to offer a holistic view to see the whole picture of interactions between various uses as well as a mechanism to engage in coordination among sectors and between levels of governments. In order to solve this failure, Taiwan's government stipulated a new dedicated law, the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), in 2015 to supplement existing sectoral management and promote sustainable development of coastal zones in an integrated way. This paper aims to examine Taiwan's coastal management framework with an emphasis on the CZMA. It specifically illustrates the practical application of the CZMA on offshore wind farms, which have recently gained momentum in Taiwan's pursuit of renewable energy. Finally, while the paper argues that the CZMA is conducive to an enhanced coastal management framework, it identifies areas deserving attention and proposed recommendations, including: encouraging public participation, employing living shoreline installations wherever appropriate, enhancing human resource capacity and conducting a complete survey of coastal resources so as to make an overall coastal spatial plan. Highlights • A dedicated law on coastal zones was stipulated in 2015. • A coastal management framework is built on sectoral as well as integrated management. • Offshore windfarm projects are examined under the CZMA. • Public participation, living shorelines, enhancing human resources are advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Modern ecosystem-based forms of marine management such as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) deal with various complex systems and often with huge amounts of data. Software-based simulative and analytical tools are therefore frequently mentioned in the scientific literature on marine management approaches. But in addition to the evolution of management approaches, the requirements for more integrated tools are also progressing. MSP, for instance, comes with different spatial resolutions, an increased need to consider multiple interdepencies, and increased requirements for validity than most of the previous marine management questions. We reviewed seven well-known Decision Support Tools (DSTs) by asking 59 MSP practitioners from at least 25 countries worldwide about their experience with these tools. The results revealed that, while respondents were mostly positive about the use of DSTs in MSP processes, DSTs are still mainly used in the academic realm and have not yet found their way into everyday MSP practice. There is a broad range of reasons for not using DSTs, including the complexity of these tools, the resources required to operate them, low stakeholder confidence in DST outcomes, and the lack of additional value in using DSTs. Highlights • Review of 7 decision support tools (DSTs) based on the experience of practitioners. • Most practitioners have a positive attitude towards these DSTs. • DSTs have not yet found their way into everyday MSP practice. • Reasons seem to be complexity, resources, low confidence, and lack of value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The lack of a strategic planning to order a defined marine territory may result in a patchwork of overlapping policies, sometimes reinforcing the legislation, but sometimes contradicting it. In Brazil, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) policies have been implemented to marine management, however, in an independent way. This article presents the patchwork of marine policies in the State of São Paulo (Southeast of Brazil) and analyses their implementation process, symmetry and the integration between them. The policies analysed were the State Plan for Coastal Zone Management and the Marine Protected Areas of São Paulo Coast. Four main procedures were conducted: 1) a historical survey of marine policies legal establishment; 2) the analysis of criteria used to determine the marine zonings, 3) the production of maps to identify policies and marine zonings overlaps and; 4) the analysis of the implementation stage of policies by comparing the procedures accomplished by the policies analysed with the procedures proposed by the marine planning, management and conservation (MPMC) frameworks. It was observed that the policies analysed have not fully implemented the management procedures yet, such as the plans of management and monitoring programs, accomplishing only the basic procedures recommended by the MPMC frameworks. Marine zonings' criteria were mainly derived from political-economic interests at the expense of ecological features. Asymmetry and little integration between policies were verified. It resulted in the MPAs being ruled in part by the ICZM policy. A wider Ecosystem-based Marine Spatial Planning strategy (EBM-MSP), supported by a committee of integration, could sew this "blue patchwork", considering the multiple uses in the territory and fostering policies full implementation. To achieve coherence on this decision-making process, MPMC policies' instruments should be founded on ecosystem-based management and on governance mechanisms with representatives' parity. Future studies should advance in investigating marine policies' symmetry and integration, stakeholders' dynamics and zoning criteria towards the sustainability of ecosystems services. Highlights • The lack of strategic planning in a maritime territory may result in a patchwork of piecemeal policies. • The implementation, symmetry and integration of a marine policies' patchwork were analysed. • The policies analysed have not fully implemented the recommended management procedures. • MPAs are being ruled by ICZM zonings due to the asymmetry and little integration between policies. • A wider MSP strategy is recommended to support policies' integration and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Integrated Offshore Management is a future challenge for the development of sustainable growth of marine economies. The progressive increase in worldwide demands for marine-based renewable energies combined with higher market demands for aquaculture-based food requires better knowledge on marine spatial planning tools that allow optimizing the use of this space for different purposes. That is the case of energy production and aquaculture activities, in which synergistic and competitive interactions must be thoroughly analyzed at an appropriate scale. The present study proposes a specific methodology that integrates several selection criteria responding simultaneously to the needs and limitations of marine aquaculture and renewable energy production, aiming to identify opportunities for the co-location of these activities. The methodology was implemented over 25 km of the coastal fringe of four islands of the Canary Archipelago, applying a multi-criteria approach based on independent probabilistic suitability and mapping analysis (time series of 20–30 years) for: (i) wind and wave energy production potential; (ii) structural requirements for aquaculture cages and energy devices; (iii) limits for operation and maintenance activities; (iv) feasibility to transport energy to the grid; and (v) biological requirements for eight species of fish. A stepwise procedure was carried out, including: 1) suitability for wave, wind and aquaculture activities, with spatial resolution of 0.01° (0–1 probability scale); and 2) integrated co-location mapping, considering suitability for each activity. Opportunities for the co-location of wind and aquaculture farms were identified in the southeastern portion of the islands, while in Tenerife and Fuerteventura wave-wind devices co-location opportunities were identified. Thus, opportunities for marine aquaculture and renewable energy were demonstrated in the present case study applying a preliminary assessment of the potential exploitation of these resources. Highlights • A replicable methodology to support decision-making in marine spatial planning. • Probability assessment based on the characterization of long-term data series. • Greatest co-location opportunities for wind and aquaculture in the study area. • Potential areas for the combination of wave and wind farms in two Canary Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Coastal zones are submitted to pressures, due to population growth and continuous expansion of human activities, which become more intense by the effects of climate change. These pressures lead coastal administrators and stakeholders into taking actions to protect and further develop the coastal zones. Those actions are not always within the framework of spatial plans. Land-Sea interaction is an important factor that should be taken into account during the implementation of Spatial Plans. To this end, assuring the coherence between coastal terrestrial and marine planning is a prerequisite, as the coastal zone is the link between marine and terrestrial space. This paper aims to identify the land and sea uses interactions that result from a series of projects. As case study, the wider area of Heraklion, Crete Island, is considered. In Heraklion area, a series of projects in coastal zone are proposed to be implemented, by different stakeholders operating in the area. The methodology follows, a holistic decision making procedure that include the analysis of alternatives, categorisation and quantification of the consequences and implementation of trade-offs, aiming to introduce a method to assess the interactions between future land and sea uses, identify the land and sea uses interactions by quantifying the consequences of each intervention. Highlights • Methodological road map to investigate land - sea uses interactions. • Estimation of side effects between future projects and land use changes. • Methodological quantification of consequences and alternatives identification. • Trade off stage promote sustainable uses. • Integrated approach of coastal zone can encourage land - sea synergies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the spatiotemporal habitat use by marine megafauna and human activities at a fine scale is important to achieve harmonised management of coastal areas. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can provide this information by observing animal vocalisations and the sounds generated by motorised vessels. Dugongs (Dugong dugon), which are endangered herbivorous mammals inhabiting coastal seas, communicate through social calls. Although their spatiotemporal acoustic presence on a fine scale could assist in prioritizing local marine spatial planning, such knowledge is limited. To address this gap, we examined the spatiotemporal pattern of the acoustic presence of dugongs and its correlation with environmental and anthropological factors; additionally, the overlap of these areas with vessel traffic was illustrated. Underwater recorders were deployed at 11 locations around Talibong Island, Thailand, for one month in both rainy and dry seasons. Based on the recorded sound stream, dugong calls and vessel sounds were automatically detected using custom-made software, and false detections were removed by manual examinations. In 2019 and 2020, 1933 h and 2719 h of recordings, respectively, revealed that while dugongs had a clear spatial preference for vocal communication at some locations, their temporal patterns varied among locations. Further, their acoustic presence was significantly correlated with environmental and anthropological factors at some locations, while these factors varied among other locations. However, the distribution of vessel traffic was spatially and temporally stable. These results suggested that (1) spatial management of vocalisation areas can effectively conserve dugongs by protecting their social behaviour and (2) temporal planning may reduce the potential disturbance risk to dugongs. Moreover, to achieve harmonised marine spatial planning in coastal areas, the PAM approach for social calls can be effectively employed to provide a unique layer of habitat use for vocalising species and vessel traffic on a fine scale. • Dugongs' acoustic presence and vessel traffic were examined in coastal Thailand. • Spatiotemporal overlap was illustrated on a fine scale. • This study provides a unique layer for harmonised local coastal management. • Passive acoustic monitoring can help in setting locally-optimized management measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine environment has been in the spotlight of economic development due to the growing demand for areas to promote activities associated with the concept of Blue Economy. This is the case of the renewable energy and aquaculture sectors, whose expansion towards offshore is determined by the increase global demand for energy and food, and by exceeding of the carrying capacity of coastal and terrestrial systems. In this context, the multi-use strategy can be an alternative to minimize conflicts between activities and impacts on the surrounding social-ecological environment. This contribution presents a preliminary approach to identify opportunities for individual exploitation and the possibilities of multi-use between wind energy, wave energy and aquaculture in Brazil's Exclusive Economic Zone. Technical, operational, and biological aspects were evaluated, through a Suitability Index validated in previous works, to identify zones with favorable conditions for energy exploitation and farming of six fish species. Additionally, overlaps between conservation areas and multi-use zones were considered to analyze possible spatial conflicts. Zones with multi-use possibilities with different combinations between these sectors were identified: i) wave energy and aquaculture presented the largest areas for multi-use, distributed in the south, southeast and northeast; ii) possibility of combining wind energy and aquaculture was identified in the northeast; and iii) multi-use possibilities in the south for marine energies. Zones with multi-use possibilities were identified in protection and conservation areas, such as the combination of wave exploitation and Greater Amberjack farming, with 63% overlap. Therefore, this case study is a guide for future local studies in the marine region of Brazil, mainly in the selection of sites for analysis. The present contribution represents a starting point for the discussion about multi-use in the country. [Display omitted] • Spatial synergies between renewable energy and aquaculture sectors in Brazil's EEZ. • Greatest possibilities for multi-use between wave energy and aquaculture. • Multi-use possibilities for wind-wave farms concentrated in the south of Brazil. • Potential zones for multi-use of wind energy and aquaculture in the northeast. • Zonas with multi-use possibilities are within conservation areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural ecosystem services have received increasing attention in land/marine use planning but remain poorly known, expressed, and utilised in planning processes. Progress in marine spatial planning requires better information regarding the full range of values and benefits received from ecosystem services, including cultural ecosystem values. This paper reports on an online Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) study that collected spatially explicit information on cultural ecosystem values in the remote Kimberley coastal region in northwestern Australia. The coastal zone – 20 km landwards and seawards – was found to be highly valued with values disproportionally located 0–2 km onshore. The number of value markers placed was related to tenure, access (i.e., density of tracks), population density, and geomorphology. Methodologically, Public Participation GIS describes the location and extent of values providing for the exploration of relationships between values and other planning features such as tenure and coastal access. Inclusion of such information in marine spatial planning and policy formulation can contribute to more thoughtful and inclusive decisions regarding the future of coastal zones. The use of internet-based Public Participation GIS is particularly useful for long, remote coastlines with widely dispersed stakeholder interests where other methods such as interviews and workshops are not feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring historical shoreline change and cliff retreat is an essential aspect of understanding the long-term geomorphic evolution of any coastal system. These data are also critical for predicting future changes and incorporating that data into proper coastal management. In recent years, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has increasingly been recognized as an important tool in the sustainable management of marine space across Europe and worldwide, including also issues of coastal zone management and land-sea interactions (Directive 2014/89/EU for MSP). This paper deals with investigation of the shoreline changes and cliff retreat along the 34 km section of the Black Sea coast at Shabla Municipality (Northeast Bulgaria). The study area has a low density of development and comprises large sand beaches, dunes and rapidly retreating loess cliffs. The present research was formulated under the European Union (EU) Directive for MSP in the Black Sea Basin (MARSPLAN-BS) Project. The goal was to provide reliable data and useful information in support of the development of a pilot marine spatial plan for Shabla Municipality. The study was focused on the analysis of shoreline movement (at sand beaches – erosion/accretion) and cliff retreat (at rocky coasts) utilizing a Geographic Information System (GIS). Primary data sources include topographic maps in scale 1:5,000, tachometry survey and modern Very High Resolution (VHR) orthophoto images. Change rates were determined using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), an ArcGIS extension for calculating shoreline change (Version 4.3), and rate-of-change statistical method. Management of coastal erosion, hard engineering methods and lack of required setbacks were discussed. Results for rates of shoreline change and cliff retreat were verified with preliminary field measurement studies and cross-checked with existing hydrodynamics, geology and geomorphology of the coast of Shabla Municipality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of Directive 2007/2/EC - INSPIRE can improve and actually strengthen the information management and data infrastructures needed for setting up Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) processes. Evidence for this comes from three parallel analyses: links between the MSP Framework Directive and INSPIRE components and implementation; the availability of marine and maritime data through the INSPIRE Geo-Portal; and the adequacy of using an INSPIRE data model for mapping maritime spatial plans. The first item identifies INSPIRE as a relevant instrument not only for data collection, but additionally for increasing transparency of the MSP processes, using already operational national and European data infrastructure. The marine/maritime data availability analysis highlights a significant difference in data sharing within European marine regions. Finally, the INSPIRE data model is adequate for mapping maritime activities and for the integration of sea and land planning in an overview of cross-border planning for a given sea region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the increasing demand for renewable energy has driven the rapid development of China's offshore wind industry. However, it is not clear to developers and management departments which types of sea areas can be used for offshore wind projects. According to the provincial marine functional zoning (MFZ), China's coastal provinces have put offshore wind zoning (OWZ) into practice. This paper clarifies the method of OWZ, collects the results from offshore wind zones (OWZs) of 10 coastal provinces, and assesses the characteristics of OWZs by area, functional attribute and distance from the coastline. The results show that most of the areas available for offshore wind are co-existence zones where offshore wind can be sited in an agricultural and fisheries zone, an industrial and urban construction zone, a special-use zone, etc. Currently, 47% of existing offshore wind projects have been located in the OWZs in the East China Sea. Moreover, parts of the coastline distance of OWZs do not meet the “double-ten principle” in China or global siting trends. Generally, the existing areas for OWZ would allow China to meet its national target by 2020, but measures still need to be taken to meet the demands of conservation and sea-use management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community participation and influence are vitally important for meeting the multidimensional sustainability aims of marine spatial planning (MSP) and more specifically for procedural and distributive justice. While participation has received substantial research interest, we identify a need to: 1) develop equity-based principles for coastal community participation that can be used to assess and reform MSP practices; 2) generate rich empirical accounts of coastal community participation and representation linked to real-world MSP practices. Here we present the results of a study that synthesizes critical MSP and blue justice scholarship to develop principles and indicators of coastally equitable and just planning. Drawing on interviews with planners and stakeholders and analysis of planning and legal documents, these principles are used to assess participatory processes linked to Latvian MSP practices in the period 2015 to 2019. Our analysis shows that equitable and just MSP needs to be based on participation that is timely, inclusive, supportive & localized, collaborative, methodical and impactful. When applied to the Latvian case these six principles provide a comprehensive and versatile heuristic approach to assess participation in MSP. In the context of Latvian MSP practices, we revealed a fundamental challenge of maintaining inclusive and localized participation throughout the full planning cycle. To counteract the successive narrowing/hardening of participatory space our results indicate a need for continuously promoting diversity of voices and perspectives, opportunities for collaborative sense making, visioning and critique. This will help to bridge diverse MSP divides (e.g., between land and sea, between local, national, and global values and priorities, between science and local knowledge, and between blue growth, conservation, and justice goals). If applied more generally in research and as part of MSP evaluation an equity-based approach can promote the mainstreaming of coastally just and equitable MSP practices. Finally, considering contextual factors (e.g., history, culture, power, legislation) that shape participation and representation is crucial when applying the equity principles to a particular MSP setting to acknowledge and accommodate its particular characteristics and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal zone of Zanzibar, Tanzania, is culturally, socially, economically, and ecologically unique but there is a lack of baseline information about its state characteristics as a whole. This paper provides a holistic assessment of the environmental and socio-economic settings of the Zanzibar coastal zone with its unusual physiographic characteristics and key habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows. The human livelihood of Zanzibar is unmistakably coastal with its many cultural adaptations but the most recent decades have shown drastic changes in the prevailing seaborne and coastal activities. This development has not been without disputes among the different interest groups. The driver-pressure-state-impact-response approach allows to scrutinize the socio-ecological system circles of the Zanzibar coastal zone. Systematically, the approach provides interlink of the drivers and with their impacts on the socio-economic systems and the appropriate responses necessary to combat the impacts. The main drivers identified to be the population increase, urbanization with settlement expansion, and the rapid expansion of the shore-dwelling tourism with its associated infrastructures. These factors are adversely impacting the coastal and marine nature and the traditional socio-economic systems. The Zanzibar government has put forward several initiatives to protect the health of the coastal ecosystems and the endurance of the traditional cultures. The effective implementation of measures, for example, the Zanzibar Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning as part of the National Land Use Plan, have not yet been sufficient to restore the situation. However, there are also signs of commitment being fostered and an improvement in the know-how for making changes. We conclude by asserting the need for coastal and marine spatial planning as the holistic and robust approach for sustainable coastal and marine planning while emphasizing community participation throughout the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan has advantages in the development of offshore wind power, as it has abundant wind energy resources at the seas. The local government has developed a series of measures to promote the development of wind power generation industry. The development of offshore wind farm in Taiwan, however, has to solve the problems that offshore wind farms are overlapping with some traditional fishing grounds and are unable to reach consensus with relevant stakeholders. This paper starts from the great potential of offshore wind power in Taiwan and the active promotion of the government, and analyses the impact and possible opportunities brought by offshore wind farm development to local fisheries, from the perspective of Zhanghua Area, a key area of development of offshore wind farm in Taiwan. This paper proposes that the local government in Taiwan should use marine spatial planning as a tool, through the comprehensive participation of government, developers, fishermen and other bodies, seeking the coexistence and prosperity of offshore wind farm and fisheries. Avoidance, compensation, and feedback, as well as communication and collaboration will be an important strategy to solve the conflicts of multiple use of the sea and to promote the development of marine renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is taking off world-wide as a holistic approach to marine management, there has been a growing need for the inclusion of socio-economic factors in this process. Yet, producing spatial data for cultural values, in particular, remain a challenge because these values are abstract and difficult to extract and quantify. Here, we demonstrate a simple repeatable manual technique for mapping cultural coastal values using in-person interviews and Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) techniques. With 47 participants in the Falkland Islands labelling 745areas of cultural coastal value, this technique gave rise to the identification of cultural coastal value hotspots across the islands in four categories: Natural Beauty, Recreation, Sense of Place and Cultural History. The locations of values were not affected by their distance to a settlement, nor were participants particularly likely to select areas close to their home. The resulting maps of coastal cultural values have been incorporated in the MSP framework and webGIS for the Falkland Islands, allowing for the integration of these social factors in the decision making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ireland is working to double the economic contribution of its €2.2bn marine sector by 2030 by focusing on expanding offshore energy, shipping, commercial fishing, and tourism sectors. This growth will be sensitive to environmental considerations, with a stated goal of achieving healthy ecosystems ‘that provide monetary and non-monetary goods and services’. Such a goal may prove challenging if short-term economic priorities threaten long-term ecosystem functions and resilience. This study determines the intrinsic value of the marine realm via attitudinal data of stakeholders by employing a grounded theory approach utilizing Q-methodology. Stakeholders were sorted into three categorical factors (Nature Collaborators, Sustainability Seekers, and Nature Technicians), each representing a significantly distinct ecological thought. It is evident within the scope of this study that stakeholders value and understand intrinsic value, despite it not being adequately represented in policy decisions to date. This research seeks to demonstrate how stakeholder engagement and Q-methodology can be utilized to address current policy shortcomings in the EU and Irish context, specifically when attempting to modernize policy approaches to be holistic and integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally marine ecosystem-based management has been embraced as an approach to design holistic marine management regimes. In this article a comparative research strategy is applied in the analysis of the holistic marine management regimes in Norway, Australia, US, Canada and the European Union. How can holistic marine management regimes based on an ecosystem approach contribute to sustainable ocean development? Important in this context is how the origin and theory of an ecosystem-based management is implemented and interpreted, and to what extent this is manifested through policies, strategies and legal frameworks. The results of this research indicate that the implementation of marine-ecosystem based management is heterogeneous. This article discusses the concrete mechanisms that are used to reach the aim of sustainable ocean management. Implementation challenges are related to lack of functional metrics, weak spatial measures, weak integration and lack of adaptive management. Still marine ecosystem-based management is an important step forward for sustainable ocean governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing recognition of their importance, immaterial cultural values associated with the sea still tend to be neglected in marine spatial planning (MSP). This socio-cultural evidence gap is due to inherent difficulties in defining and eliciting cultural values, but also to difficulties in linking cultural values to specific places, thus enabling an area-based approach to management. This paper addresses three aspects that are important for including marine cultural values in MSP: Defining cultural values, identifying places of cultural importance, and establishing the relative significance of places of cultural importance. We argue that common classification schemes such as cultural ecosystem services can be a helpful starting point for identifying cultural values, but only go so far in capturing communities' cultural connections with the sea. A method is proposed for structuring a community-based narrative on cultural values and “spatialising” them for MSP purposes, using five criteria that can lead to the definition of “culturally significant areas”. A baseline of culturally significant areas is suggested as an aid to planners to pinpoint places where cultural connections to the sea are particularly strong. Throughout, we emphasise the need for participative processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine spatial planning (MSP) requires extensive integration and collaboration between and among government agencies and non-governmental individuals and organizations. Such collaboration has also been identified as critical to the broader goal of achieving regional ocean governance. Social network analysis (SNA) is a suite of methods for systematically analyzing relations between individuals and organizations and provides insight into the extent and nature of collaboration and into governance networks more broadly. A SNA was conducted of the governance network shaping a regional MSP initiative in the New England region of the U.S. from 2012 to 2014, focusing in particular on a subset of key collaborators comprising the core of this network. The SNA was designed to investigate whether this network demonstrates the level of inter-organizational collaboration and integration that MSP scholars assert is needed to meaningfully improve regional ocean governance. Results suggest that the broader New England regional ocean planning network is large, decentralized, and of low density, thus well-suited to solving complex boundary-spanning problems like the management of ocean space. The core collaboration network is similarly diverse; well-connected and influential members of the core collaboration network include representatives of intergovernmental regional ocean partnerships, state government affiliates, and, to a lesser extent, federal government affiliates. Influential members also include key representatives of non-governmental organizations and universities. Conversely, local government affiliates are absent from the network, and ocean users and industry representatives are also absent from the core collaboration network but are included in the broader network and involved in the MSP process through targeted outreach efforts. These results indicate that both horizontal and vertical collaboration are being facilitated through the core collaboration network, though collaboration could be improved through greater participation by local government, users, and industry. This study illustrates how MSP, applied regionally, may help facilitate collaboration, thereby helping to advance a regional ocean governance approach, but that further research is needed to compare this case to others and to observe how this network sustains over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an approach to ocean management with an increasingly global reach. However, existing evaluation strategies have yet to ascertain the extent to which MSP achieves social, ecological, and economic goals to benefit coastal environments and human communities. Here, we experiment with a theory-based approach as a means of overcoming long-standing obstacles to MSP evaluation. We developed and applied an eight-step evaluation protocol to five diverse cases of MSP, focusing on the evaluative feasibility of the protocol as we moved from identifying objectives to assessing the sustainability of outcomes. We found evidence that theory-based evaluation (operationalized via theories of change) can bridge quantitative outcome and qualitative process evaluations, two essential approaches that on their own produce incomplete pictures of MSP. Our work suggests that a theory-based approach can enhance opportunities to incorporate diverse knowledge sources and data types into outcome evaluations and thus better capture complex social, political, and historical dimensions that are difficult to quantify but critical to MSP success. We also uncovered likely challenges to implementing theory-based evaluation for MSP, including the apparent data- and time-intensive nature of the approach. We found that applying theory-based evaluation is difficult for plans lacking well-defined goals, objectives, and intended outcomes and that increased documentation of planning motivations and the planning process are needed to rigorously evaluate MSP. Ultimately, we join others in the marine conservation and management fields who are optimistic about theory-based evaluation. Our evaluation protocol provides a first step towards a practical guide to accelerate the use of this assessment approach. • Marine spatial planning (MSP) is expanding despite unknowns about its effectiveness. • Common evaluation approaches are less suited to the complexity and diversity of MSP. • The adaptation of theory-based evaluation to MSP shows promise and feasibility. • Theory-based evaluation can holistically integrate process and outcome evaluations. • Theory-based evaluation can provide insight into MSP attribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, fisheries face the consequences of climate change and compete with expanding human activities at sea, which may trigger unforeseen reactions of fishers. Hence, knowledge on drivers of fishing behavior is crucial for management and needs to be integrated in resource management policies. In this study, we identify factors influencing fishing activity of North Sea demersal fleets. First, we explore drivers of the North Sea demersal fisheries in scientific literature. Subsequently, we study the effects of identified drivers on the spatio-temporal dynamics of German demersal fisheries using boosted regression trees (BRT), a supervised machine learning technique. An exploratory literature review revealed a lack of studies incorporating biophysical, economic and socio-cultural fishing drivers in a single quantitative analysis. Our BRT analysis contributed to filling this research gap and highlighted the importance of biophysical drivers such as temperature, salinity, and bathymetry for fishing behavior. Contrary to findings of previous studies, our empirical analysis identified quotas and market prices to be irrelevant, except for low brown shrimp prices, which counter-intuitively increased fishing effort. Moreover, economic and socio-cultural variables influencing brown shrimp fishing effort differed from the other fleets, especially determined by increased effort on workdays and reduced effort when fuel prices were high. Our findings provide key information for marine spatial planning and supports the integration of fishing fleet behavior into policies. [Display omitted] • Few studies incorporated oceanographic, economic, and cultural drivers of fishing. • Oceanographic parameters were most relevant at driving spatio-temporal fishing effort. • Resource and fuel prices were only relevant for one fleet. • Socio-cultural and economic drivers differ across fleets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated management (IM) has been widely proposed, but difficult to achieve in practice, and there remains the need for evaluation of examples that illustrate the practical issues that contribute to IM success or failure. This paper synthesises experiences of academics and practitioners involved in seven Australian case studies in which there have been attempts to integrate or take a broader, holistic perspective of management. The evaluative framework of Stephenson et al. (2019a) was used as a lens to explore, through workshops and a questionnaire survey, the nine key features and five anticipated stages of IM in the Gladstone Harbour Project, the Great Barrier Reef, the Northern Prawn fishery and regional development, the South-East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, the Australian Oceans Policy, the New South Wales Marine Estate reforms, and progress toward Integrated Management in the Spencer Gulf. Workshops involving experts with direct experience of the case studies revealed that most of the key features (recognition of the need; a shared vision for IM; appropriate legal and policy frameworks; effective process for appropriate stakeholder participation; comprehensive suite of objectives (ecological, social, cultural, economic and institutional); consideration of trade-offs and cumulative effects of multiple activities; flexibility to adapt to changing conditions; process for ongoing review, evaluation and refinement; and effective resourcing) were seen as important in all case studies. However, there are only a few examples where key features of IM were implemented 'fully'. A subsequent questionnaire of participants using 'best-worst' scaling indicated that an appropriate legal and institutional framework is considered to have most influence on IM outcomes, and therefore is the most important of the key features. This is followed in salience by effective stakeholder participation, effective resourcing, capacity and tools, and recognition of the need for IM. Key features may change in relative importance at different stages in the trajectory of IM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the cruise ship industry moves towards ever larger vessels, many tourist destinations are faced with dilemmas about how to accommodate the latest generation of ships, which require deeper and wider shipping pathways. The location of nearshore shipping channels traveled by cruise ships has important environmental and economic implications, as dredging larger lanes damages habitat, ship traffic produces sediment plumes that can smother adjacent sensitive habitats (e.g., coral reefs, seagrass beds), and dredging costs vary spatially. These environmental and economic costs should ideally be evaluated in the context of projected benefits from increased tourism. To inform decision-making on cruise ship pathway design, we evaluated tradeoffs among tourism revenue to the local economy, dredging costs, direct coral damage and sedimentation impacts to coral reefs of alternative cruise ship approach channels for the island of Bermuda. We compiled economic data on cruise tourism and dredging costs and developed a sediment particle tracking model, overlaid on maps of coral cover, to track the spread of sediment particles and resulting coral sedimentation caused by cruise ships. Using our models we compared two viable routes, if dredged, for larger ships to reach Bermuda, along with a scenario of no dredging in which the next generation of larger ships is not accommodated. Our tradeoff analysis shows that the status quo (no dredging; no larger ships) scenario performs relatively well except for the risk of a significant loss in tourism revenue. When selecting between the two channel upgrade scenarios, the south channel upgrade is preferable if dredged material can be reused, thereby recouping dredging costs; otherwise, there is a strong tradeoff between upgrade costs and coral sedimentation. While developed with data layers and inputs specific to Bermuda, this analytical approach could easily be configured to other locations facing similar spatial planning decisions about whether and where to allow pathways for larger cruise ships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the European Level, SACs (Special Areas of Conservation) are considered among the most reliable tools for increasing the efficiency of protective actions and to identify species vulnerability hotspots across spatial scales. Nevertheless, SACs may fail in their scope when design and management are not dynamically adapted to meet ecological principles. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of relevant key species, such as common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ), is crucial in order to achieve the objective of the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC), and is a fundamental step in the process of Marine Spatial Planning. From this perspective, new data and analysis are required to produce forecasts at spatio-temporal scales relevant to individual organisms. Here, we propose a study based on a MaxEnt modelling exercise to define the spatial distributional patterns of bottlenose dolphin at different temporal scales (over periods of multiple months and years) to increase the ecological understanding of how the species use the eco-space, and to delimit boundaries of a SAC in the waters surrounding Lampedusa Island, a hotspot for cetaceans in the Southern Mediterranean Sea. We show that bottlenose dolphin prefer shallower feeding grounds that often host complex and rich food webs, but also that this preference is constrained by disturbance factors such as boat traffic. As sea-related tourism, including dolphin-watching, is one of the most important economic activities of the island, the study results can be used from a management perspective, in order to reach a solution regarding two apparently conflicting needs - species protection and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an approach that has become essential in order to meet coastal states’ commitments to coordinated management between all stakeholders involved, whether the main objective is for economic, recreational or conservation purposes. The lessons learned from MSP over the last decade revealed the importance of applying multidisciplinary approaches to expand and deepen the involvement of stakeholders from economic and political decision-making spheres, as well as considering social and cultural dimensions. As part of the MSP process in the western tropical Pacific region, a participatory and prospective method was undertaken (the territory game). The method is based on the collective construction of spatial representations by a pool of relevant stakeholders. Both, the spatial outputs, as well as the discussions leading to them, were analysed to evaluate the stakeholders’ current and future visions of the territory. During the methodological pathway, visions developed ranging from a local scale to areas that covered all oceanic compartments, as well as some even considering the entire region. Local and intangible knowledge and opinions were taken into consideration, and helped to create a comprehensive understanding of the context. In the course of the project, participants proposed socio-ecological management solutions with innovative spatial scales. Furthering this effort, the proposals were shaped to the action capacity of the states concerned; in addition, certain Pacific countries were identified as potential leaders for steering some of the proposed actions. This approach can help to promote local actors’ involvement in MSP by a collective analysis as well as to strengthen integration of cultural and social aspects. The whole process is based on biophysical and geopolitical scientific information to improve the credibility of the results. The suggested actions could thus be implemented by each state and the Western Pacific region. Though the integration of the results into high-level decision making was not tested yet, the presented approach would allow an increased acceptance of suggested directions and actions by taking into account the different spatial visions of the relevant actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of Oregon’s Nearshore Research Inventory (NRI) project was to understand the geographic use of ocean space by the marine science community in order to include the information in Oregon’s marine spatial planning (MSP) process. Spatial data and attributes about the geographic use of Oregon’s ocean and coast by marine scientists were inventoried and mapped; including information about the geographic distribution of research, research timelines, and the people and institutions that conduct scientific research. The results of the NRI interviews show that the scientific community conducts research in twenty percent of the nearshore grid cells used in the Oregon’s Territorial Sea amendment process. These results show that ocean space is used by the scientific community, and therefore, should be recognized as a use of ocean space in the MSP process. As new uses, such as wave energy extraction, are proposed along coastlines and in the ocean, MSP can be used as a tool to reduce conflict and find compatible uses of ocean and coastal space. A major benefit of the scientific community’s use of ocean and coastal space is that it results in data that can be used to inform ecosystem-based management decisions. Interruptions in long-term scientific research and monitoring as a result of ocean space use conflicts could limit the availability of information for use in future management decisions. While considering tradeoffs in the MSP process, decision makers need to recognize and account for the value of scientific space as a use of the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal and marine space is “home” to a constantly growing number of human activities and facilities, the most important of which are those related to coastal and marine tourism. Being one of the largest segments of the maritime economic sectors, as well as the largest component of the tourism industry, coastal and marine tourism often raise controversy regarding the environmental impacts and the compatibilities with other human activities. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), is considered to be a promising procedure in tackling developmental and management issues related to the oceans and seas, and thus issues related to coastal and marine tourism. Indeed the present paper argues over the significant role of MSP in organizing and planning coastal and marine tourism activities and especially in ensuring: a) good environmental conditions for the tourism industry to prosper, b) quality of seascapes and coastal landscapes and other resources of importance to tourism, c) adaptation to climate change effects, d) spatial regulations so that coastal and marine space is not overwhelmed by tourism facilities and activities and e) wise allocation of human uses in the coastal zone so as to avoid conflicts and create synergies among sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally concerned coastal zone management and marine spatial planning should minimize the risk of damaging sensitive benthic habitats. Since reliable maps of the underwater nature are scarce, planners often have to work with inconsistent data. We compare the outcomes of three hypothetical planning schemes with dissimilar input benthic ecology datasets in order to define suitable sites for shallow water wind turbine placement. The study is conducted in the northern Baltic Sea where the brown algae bladderwrack ( Fucus spp.) forms important submerged habitats that can be disturbed by wind turbine construction. We evaluated the effects of the input data using two different approaches. In the first, we placed a maximum number of wind turbines at four different depth classes. After choosing the locations, we examined the potential area of affected Fucus habitats. In the second approach, we tested the accumulation of damage to Fucus habitats when adding new turbines to the research area by starting from the furthest available location of known important Fucus sites. Both approaches indicated that using data from airborne LIDAR helps coastal planners avoid the risk of unnecessary destruction of benthic key habitats. LIDAR surveys can help to optimize the locations for the detailed planning of vast areas in a way that point-based inventories or statistical predictive modeling cannot achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed in 2008 on the need to identify Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the world's oceans to focus future conservation and management efforts. From 2010 to 2014, 9 workshops had described 204 areas meeting the EBSA criteria in approximately 68% of the world's oceans. The workshops comprised experts nominated by more than 100 governments and a similar number of regional and global non government and intergovernmental organizations, supported by a technical team that collated data and provided mapping expertise. Despite this progress, there is uncertainty about how to use EBSA in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). We review a suite of the existing MSP, Ecosystem Based Management, fisheries and conservation frameworks to determine their common elements and suggest how they can be synthesized. We propose an adaptive hierarchical approach that takes key elements from existing frameworks and show how EBSA can be used to support this approach within national jurisdictions and in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The adaptive hierarchical process encourages early implementation of MSP/EBM using available scientific knowledge and governance and supports the gradual progress to more complex and information rich structures as needed and appropriate. The EBSA process provides a sound basis for developing the scientific advice to support national and international management of the world's oceans by identifying marine systems and the criteria for which they are valued by regional experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime and coastal cultural landscape, encompassing land and sea, and underwater is an important part of our cultural resources in the coastal areas. Although, integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) has theoretically addressed the importance of cultural ecosystems, cultural resources have mostly been overlooked in holistic coastal management plans. Overlooking cultural resources results in loss of cultural identity associated with certain habitats; loss of tourism, recreational and educational opportunities; decline in local ecological knowledge, skills and technology pertaining to habitat management; and loss of opportunities for social and cultural capital. Literature and practice show that there is no proper definition and evaluation of coastal cultural heritage is available and coastal cultural heritage has not been considered as a resource with high level of benefit for development and people. Acknowledging the importance of coastal cultural heritage as a resource in ICZM, and the role that ICZM can play in linking land and sea management approaches highlights the necessity of new methods for defining and evaluation of coastal cultural heritage. This paper proposes models and guidelines for defining and evaluating coastal cultural heritage to be included in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and ICZM as a resource through application of the integrative complexity theory and learning from the experiences in management of other coastal resources. The results will be an integrative evaluation method and a guideline for delineating coastal cultural areas. The method and tool will be examined through the case of Ostend in Belgium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a regionalization of marine waters south of the Iberian Peninsula, north Morocco and Algeria based on empirical orthogonal functions and GIS analysis. The regions identified are consistent and correspond to hydrological mesoscale and macroscale structures well characterized from physical and biological viewpoints. Although it is difficult to determine the boundaries of a fluid continuously moving, the procedure used recognizes the most frequent patterns and can be used to geographically reference the most likely position of the limit among the regions. Once established the regions, the connectivity among them is addressed by means of geostrophic currents derived from altimetry data. The main geostrophic circulation pattern depict an elevated connectivity in the area that might facilitate the conservation and recovery of species, but also imply a higher vulnerability to negative external forces and highlight the need of models, marine spatial planning, and coastal management approaches that include the pelagic ecosystem and connectivity of the seas. Furthermore, the results confirm that the cooperation between public authorities at different levels (local, regional, state) as well as among coastal countries is essential for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and prevention of potential risk derived from upcoming marine activities in the framework of the 2020 Agenda and Blue Growth Strategy ( European Commission, 2012 ). The recently approved Directive for Marine Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management ( European Commission, 2013 ), with the objective to avoid conflicts among diverse users and guarantees stable environment and sustainable growth, requiring information concerning regionalization and connectivity in the sea, but this information is not always available in all regions, space and time scales. Our approach offers a cheap, fast and universal applicable methodology for mesoscale regionalization and connectivity estimation as a starting point of a nested MSP approach until further detailed oceanographic studies can be carried out at the most interesting points identified in the respective area considered in the MSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]