Abstract
Claims for ocean space are growing while marine ecosystems suffer from centuries of insufficient care. Human pressures from runoff, atmospheric emissions, marine pollution, fishing, shipping, military operations and other activities wear on habitats and populations. Ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged worldwide as a strategic instrument for handling conflicting spatial claims among competing sectors and the environment. The twofold objective of both boosting the blue economy and protecting the environment is challenging in practice and marine planners need decision support. Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) was originally developed to provide an overview of the human imprint on the world's ocean ecosystems. We have now added a scenario component to the CIA model and used it within Swedish ecosystem-based MSP. This has allowed us to project environmental impacts for different planning alternatives throughout the planning process, strengthening the integration of environmental considerations into strategic decision-making. Every MSP decision may entail a local shift of environmental impact, causing positive or negative consequences for ecosystem components. The results from Swedish MSP in the North Sea and Baltic Sea illustrate that MSP certainly has the potential to lower net cumulative environmental impact, both locally and across sea basins, as long as environmental values are rated high and prevailing pressures derive from activities that are part of MSP. By synthesizing innumerous data into comprehensible decision support that informs marine planners of the likely environmental consequences of different options, CIA enables ecosystem-based MSP in practice.
Highlights
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is being implemented across the world, with the goal of supporting marine policy through strategic designation of space for various interests (Domínguez-Tejo et al, 2016)
The application of Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) in MSP visualizes the complexities of how multiple pressures from different activities affect marine ecosystems and how this impact can be altered by different planning solutions
As highlighted by Stelzenmüller et al (2020), it is important to allow for methodological differences related to the purpose of the chosen method, where CIA tools for marine spatial planning serve different purposes than cumulative assessments for regional policy advice, which may require bespoke source data
Summary
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is being implemented across the world, with the goal of supporting marine policy through strategic designation of space for various interests (Domínguez-Tejo et al, 2016). Two fundamental aspects of this ecosystem-based approach to MSP are the respect for the structure and function of ecosystems, and strong stakeholder participation. To follow such principles through a long and partially political planning process that is concerned with large areas and various ecological entities, requires sufficient decision support including comprehensive assessment of environmental impact. Marine spatial plans cover vast geographic areas with diverse ecological entities, various human activities, and associated pressures. Through this myriad of information, planners need to envisage how all concurring uses of the sea affect the marine environment, in addition to pressures from land-based sources. At the grand scale of MSP, cumulative effects assessments are key (Hodgson et al, 2019; Willsteed et al, 2018)
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