Presentation Abstract
The Salish Sea is a tremendously dynamic, diverse, and ecologically significant inland sea. It has supported indigenous communities for millennia and is now one of the most heavily used coastlines in the world. Increasing industrial use has resulted in declining biodiversity and ecosystem health. As we continue to see increases in human activities and escalating impacts from climate change on marine ecosystems, and associated declines in marine biodiversity and ecosystem health, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is becoming an increasingly important tool to ensure sustainable use of our coastal and marine resources, for generations to come. However, MSP is a resource and time intensive activity; it requires the meaningful engagement and support of a diversity of stakeholders, the collation of large amounts of detailed ecological and human use data to conduct complex spatial analyses, and the consideration of often complicated and overlapping jurisdictions. At the same time, there is no set formula or recipe for a successful MSP process and plans will need to reflect and address the unique political, economic, social and biological context for each area. MSP has been undertaken for Puget Sound and for the Great Bear Sea in northern British Columbia, marine protected area (MPA) network planning is now also underway in the Great Bear Sea. However, Canadian waters within the Salish Sea remain largely unprotected and a complicated patchwork of jurisdictions and management measures. Here, we draw on these experiences and international best practices to highlight some of the opportunities and challenges, and make recommendations, for widespread MSP within the Canadian portion of the Salish Sea, including a network of marine protected areas.
Session Title
Marine Protected Areas and Marine Spatial Planning: Challenges and Opportunities for Large-scale Ecosystem Protection and Integrated Management in the Salish Sea
Keywords
Marine spatial planning, Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE8: Policy, Management, and Regulations
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE8-349
Start Date
6-4-2018 2:30 PM
End Date
6-4-2018 2:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine spatial planning--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Climatic changes--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Challenges and opportunities for marine spatial planning in the Salish Sea: learning from other jurisdictions
The Salish Sea is a tremendously dynamic, diverse, and ecologically significant inland sea. It has supported indigenous communities for millennia and is now one of the most heavily used coastlines in the world. Increasing industrial use has resulted in declining biodiversity and ecosystem health. As we continue to see increases in human activities and escalating impacts from climate change on marine ecosystems, and associated declines in marine biodiversity and ecosystem health, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is becoming an increasingly important tool to ensure sustainable use of our coastal and marine resources, for generations to come. However, MSP is a resource and time intensive activity; it requires the meaningful engagement and support of a diversity of stakeholders, the collation of large amounts of detailed ecological and human use data to conduct complex spatial analyses, and the consideration of often complicated and overlapping jurisdictions. At the same time, there is no set formula or recipe for a successful MSP process and plans will need to reflect and address the unique political, economic, social and biological context for each area. MSP has been undertaken for Puget Sound and for the Great Bear Sea in northern British Columbia, marine protected area (MPA) network planning is now also underway in the Great Bear Sea. However, Canadian waters within the Salish Sea remain largely unprotected and a complicated patchwork of jurisdictions and management measures. Here, we draw on these experiences and international best practices to highlight some of the opportunities and challenges, and make recommendations, for widespread MSP within the Canadian portion of the Salish Sea, including a network of marine protected areas.
