MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE
In a nutshell, the OCEANPLAN project is a 3-year research project that investigates how marine spatial planning (MSP) can both be affected by, and adapt to global climate change. The project is funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and led by an international team of scientists with expertise on both climate change and MSP (see team members).
MSP is being developed and implemented worldwide as a way to foster sustainability in ocean management and use. It deals with the spatial and temporal distribution of human uses in marine areas, striving to minimize conflicts and foster compatibilities among such uses, as well as between uses and the environment.
MSP is being developed and implemented worldwide as a way to foster sustainability in ocean management and use. It deals with the spatial and temporal distribution of human uses in marine areas, striving to minimize conflicts and foster compatibilities among such uses, as well as between uses and the environment.
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On top of the many challenges (political, socioeconomic, environmental) MSP already faces, in the near-future it will need to deal with a changing climate. Properly incorporating climate change into the MSP framework will allow for better preparedness, improved response capacity and, ultimately, a reduced vulnerability of marine socio-ecological systems.
The OCEANPLAN project will address this important scientific and societal topic, by developing an index to assess MSP vulnerability to climate change (Work Package 1); applying the index to selected case studies around the world (WP2); investigating operational approaches for adapting to change and uncertainty (WP3); analysing how specific MSP processes and policies have been integrating, and dealing with climate change (WP4); and developing guidelines for MSP under a changing climate (WP5). |
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OCEANPLAN started in the beginning of October 2018 and will run until the end of September 2021. The project counts with the support of three Portuguese partner institutions, namely FCiências.ID (University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences), NOVA School of Business and Economics (New University of Lisbon, Faculty of Economy), and Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso (University of the Azores). Additionally, team members and collaborators represent a number of renowned institutions in the field of marine sciences, namely Duke University (United States), Stanford University (United States), Sound Seas (United States), Ocean Visions Consulting (France), IOC-UNESCO (France), Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany), and University Iuav of Venice (Italy).
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