Management, planning, and conservation in coastal and marine environments are changing rapidly to address increasingly complex social and economic issues. Overcapitalization of fisheries, loss of biodiversity, new sectors, and the sustainability of global tourism… these are just some of the problems we need to solve for nature and people.

Marine spatial planning is about engaging with people to plan for the future. New approaches to address conflicting uses, identify values, and achieve national conservation goals are emerging based on practical experience, research, local knowledge and innovation, and urgency for change. Balancing multiple objectives across numerous sectors and ensuring a healthy ocean ecosystem is among the most important challenges presently facing marine planners and resource managers.

To address this challenge, marine spatial planning (MSP) is known to be an effective solution because these processes can include and address issues such as equity, social inclusion, local economies, biodiversity goals, and implementation financing.