[Coral-List] Request for information on practical experiences from Marine Spatial Planning

Ole Vestergaard Ole.Vestergaard at unep.org
Fri Feb 28 13:23:05 EST 2014


Dear Coral-List members,

We write to kindly request your collaboration and assistance in an initiative to collect information and experiences from Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) processes as a way to share practical lessons and guide future capacity building.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility (GEF STAP) are collaborating to collect, review and share global experiences from MSP implementation, in order to understand which approaches are most suitable for different contexts and settings, particularly in developing regions, where dependence on healthy coral reefs and associated coastal ecosystems is often high. The effort is also designed to support CBD’s COP11 Decision related to MSP (XI/18 Para C [1]). 

The rationale for the initiative is that implementation of MSP is often constrained by limited practical experiences and lessons of which approaches work and which don’t in different contexts and settings, particularly in developing regions. The objective is therefore to collect, review and share MSP planning and implementation experiences and lessons globally to support advice and capacity building of national and regional planners, decision-makers and practitioners across coastal and marine sectors.

We consider practical marine and coastal spatial planning experience to include comprehensive multi-sector planning processes, but also simpler spatial management initiatives that may have involved just a few sectors, such as integrated planning of MPAs and fishing zones; coastal infrastructure development considering environmental impacts; balancing tourism and offshore energy interests; or similar. 

We are for example interested in examples where MSP has evolved from preceding efforts, for example ICZM or MPA planning. We are also keen to learn about trans-boundary coastal and marine spatial planning experiences across land-sea connections (e.g. ridge-to-reef approach) or marine areas across of national jurisdictions. Since our main objective is to understand the context for successful implementation, we will be focusing primarily on MSP processes that are in the implementation stage.

To collect such information, we have developed an online survey containing a series of questions about MSP planning and implementation. We would be very grateful if you would be able to share your personal experiences by filling this survey - and/or assist by forwarding this email containing the link below to the survey to relevant partners, projects, networks, institutions and individuals that you think may be able to provide detailed information about the MSP processes they have been involved with.  We will then be contacting respondents to assist them in submitting information.

The online survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MSPinPractice.   
For any further information on the survey, or to request assistance filling it in, please contact us at: MSP at unep-wcmc.org.

We would be grateful to receive inputs by 31 March 2014.  

Thank you for your contributions input into this initiative.


With kind regards, 

Ole Vestergaard, UNEP Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems Branch
Douglas Taylor, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility
Hannah Thomas, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre


[1] https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-11/full/cop-11-dec-en.pdf​

Ole Vestergaard
Programme Officer 
Division of Environmental Policy Implementation
United Nations Environment Programme 
P.O.Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya 
Tel: +254-20-762 4729  
Email: ole.vestergaard at unep.org


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