The extension of marine spatial planning to the management of the world ocean, especially areas beyond national jurisdiction

Abstract

Up until now, marine spatial planning (MSP) has been developed primarily in sea areas that are under national sovereignty, i.e., territorial waters and economic exclusive zones. There are proposals for extending MSP to areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). However, the lack of a clear legal framework to support such attempts limits their viability This paper draws on existing MSP and wider spatial planning experience, and proposes three different scenarios for the creation of planning systems covering the entire world ocean based on the characteristics of different areas. The most promising seems to be the flexible grassroots spatiality approach that would be based on an international agreement to plan ABNJ along with the grass-root efforts of various organisations and planning professionals. The paper identifies key preconditions for the successful introduction of MSP in ABNJ with a focus on resilience and regulatory and supportive ecosystem services. The use of various types of spatial planning is also proposed, prioritizing information and indicative planning, stock-taking and vision-building, making use of non-binding plans, aligning plans for ABNJ and areas under national jurisdiction (AUNJ) and continuous monitoring and evaluation of the results of MSP processes.