Evaluation of decision support tools for marine spatial planning in the Salish Sea

Speaker

Carrie Robb

Streaming Media

Presentation Abstract

The Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) initiative for the south coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada aims to bring together federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners, communities, and stakeholders to collectively coordinate how to use marine spaces and achieve ecological, economic, cultural, and social objectives. Decision support tools (DSTs) such as Marxan and Prioritizr are an important resource in the development of a marine spatial plan. These tools can systematically evaluate available spatial data on existing and future conditions to identify areas of high conservation value or importance for marine activities, define potential zoning frameworks, and evaluate trade-offs. A pilot study was initiated to evaluate DSTs and zoning approaches relevant to the development of a marine spatial plan for the BC South Coast, including the Salish Sea. This work builds off lessons learned in the use of DSTs to support the marine protected area network planning process in the North Coast of BC. DSTs that have been used to identify areas of high ecological or socioeconomic value and DSTs able to generate zoning scenarios were assessed, as were approaches for defining zones and incorporating conflicts and compatibilities between ecological features and marine activities. The results of this study can help partner organizations collaboratively identify major decision points, key supporting information, and workable spatial solutions throughout the process of developing a marine spatial plan for the BC South Coast.

Session Title

Data Science 2

Conference Track

SSE1: Science for the Future

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE-traditionals-62

Start Date

28-4-2022 8:30 AM

End Date

28-4-2022 10:00 AM

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Marine spatial planning--British Columbia; Marine ecosystem management--British Columbia; Marine resources--British Columbia--Management

Geographic Coverage

British Columbia

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Apr 28th, 8:30 AM Apr 28th, 10:00 AM

Evaluation of decision support tools for marine spatial planning in the Salish Sea

The Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) initiative for the south coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada aims to bring together federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners, communities, and stakeholders to collectively coordinate how to use marine spaces and achieve ecological, economic, cultural, and social objectives. Decision support tools (DSTs) such as Marxan and Prioritizr are an important resource in the development of a marine spatial plan. These tools can systematically evaluate available spatial data on existing and future conditions to identify areas of high conservation value or importance for marine activities, define potential zoning frameworks, and evaluate trade-offs. A pilot study was initiated to evaluate DSTs and zoning approaches relevant to the development of a marine spatial plan for the BC South Coast, including the Salish Sea. This work builds off lessons learned in the use of DSTs to support the marine protected area network planning process in the North Coast of BC. DSTs that have been used to identify areas of high ecological or socioeconomic value and DSTs able to generate zoning scenarios were assessed, as were approaches for defining zones and incorporating conflicts and compatibilities between ecological features and marine activities. The results of this study can help partner organizations collaboratively identify major decision points, key supporting information, and workable spatial solutions throughout the process of developing a marine spatial plan for the BC South Coast.