Effective marine (spatial) planning: a systematic review of evidence

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the peer-reviewed literature related to marine spatial planning (MSP) in order to identify and evaluate claims of effective practice. MSP is the favoured approach to the governance of marine space in many countries and in Europe is being encouraged by the European Union’s ‘roadmap’ for maritime spatial planning and provision of funding opportunities related to marine planning (European Commission, 2008 and 2009). A total of 96 papers were reviewed, which collectively contained a total of 49 claims of effective practice. These were dominated by claims related to stakeholder involvement, which comprised 49% of the total. It was concluded that in order to be effective, MSP should draw from the best available evidence base, involve informed stakeholders, integrate with existing sectoral and spatial plans, adopt an ecosystem-based approach at an appropriate spatial and temporal scale, be implemented through a legally binding framework, and be subject to rigorous monitoring. Despite the clear consensus around these claims, the evidence supporting these claims was rarely underpinned by primary research, making the results a reflection of what is anticipated will deliver effective practice, rather than what has been proven to deliver effective practice.