Challenges and Solutions to Marine Spatial Planning Sustainability

Tese de mestrado, Ecologia e Gestão Ambiental, 2022, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências“Sustainable forms of development will be dynamic, not static, and capable of responding to the surprises that Mother Nature delivers.” (Olsen, 2003) Ocean space includes both human activities and natural values. To allocate all uses in space and time while minimizing conflicts and promoting compatibilities, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) appears as a solution. However, balancing human needs and environmental protection through management can encounter several challenges. How MSP balances economic, environmental, and social objectives – the three pillars of sustainability – determines the management policies to be pursue. Recently, it has been recognized that MSP processes have evolved from ecosystem-based approaches to blue growth strategies, leading to greater challenges for marine management. Use-use and use-environment conflicts are now more prevalent and are expected to become more common under global environmental change. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a theoretical discussion on the sustainability of MSP based on literature review and expert consultation. Nineteen challenges to the development and implementation of MSP were identified, and potential solutions to address them were also pinpointed. Results show that, although different challenges have been identified, all of them are closely interrelated. Also, changes in one challenge can contribute to the development of solutions to others. The conclusions suggest that MSP processes today are historically fragmented, rigid, and difficult to adapt. The findings indicate that Political and institutional frameworks, followed by Stakeholder engagement, pose the greatest challenges to MSP development and implementation. Changing governance systems and adapting frameworks to the identified challenges could help address some of the barriers identified. Under a changing ocean, marine spatial plans need to be able to respond to rapid changes in marine ecosystems and dependent human activities and uses. For this reason, an ecosystem-based management approach, together with the development and integration of climate-smart MSP solutions - focusing on both the environment and people – must be ensured