Marine spatial planning

Marine spatial planning brings together multiple users of the ocean to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably. In order for sound decisions to be made they need to be based upon robust scientific evidence that considers all aspects and users of the marine environment.

Millions of people across the globe rely on marine and coastal ecosystems for food, employment and their general well-being. However, the marine environment is under immense pressure from the multiple, and often conflicting, needs of the people that use it. Marine spatial planning considers all the potential users of the marine environment and the consequences of their actions in order to utilise marine resources in a coordinated and sustainable manner. 

We support marine spatial planning through a wide range of activities, from understanding where living resources such as fished species are and where they will be in the future; by understanding the resilience of the distribution of these resources to environmental and climate change; by evaluating ecosystem services and benefits and the social impacts of marine activities; by use of Earth Observation; and by modelling the impacts of engineering works on the marine environment. In this way, we help identify key areas requiring co-location of uses and their management, such as providing advice on the positioning of important areas for Marine Conservation and renewable energy infrastructure.

Making a difference

PML constantly strives to produce and distribute high quality data to inform policy and management decisions and promote sustainable development of the marine environment, to enable marine resources to be utilised in a responsible manner to preserve the health of marine ecosystems and maintain biodiversity.

Current research topics include:

Air-sea gas exchange Aquaculture Biodiversity Capacity building and Official Development Assistance (ODA) Carbon and nutrient cycles Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Earth Observation Food security Invasive species Marine plastics Modelling the Marine Environment New technologies Ocean acidification Renewable energy Valuing the marine environment

Projects

ACCORD

Addressing Challenges of Coastal Communities through Ocean Research for Developing Economies (ACCORD)

Contact: Professor Icarus Allen

The coastal and marine environments of South East Asia and the Western Indian Ocean (the regional foci of ACCORD) are rich and diverse, possessing...

Quantifying benefits and impacts of fishing exclusion zones around Marine Renewable Energy Installat
Completed

Quantifying benefits and impacts of fishing exclusion zones around Marine Renewable Energy Installations (QBEX)

Contact: Professor Melanie Austen

The aim of this project is to assess the benefits and impacts of fishing exclusion zones around marine renewable energy installations. A side...

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Related recent publications

  1. Payne, MR; Barange, M; Cheung, WWL; MacKenzie, BR; Batchelder, HP; Cormon, X; Eddy, TD; Fernandes, JA; Hollowed, AB; Jones, MC; Link, JS; Neubauer, P; Ortiz, I; Queiros, AM; Paula, JR. 2015 Uncertainties in projecting climate-change impacts in marine ecosystems. ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, 73 (5). 1272-1282. 10.1093/icesjms/fsv231
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  2. Hooper, TL; Beaumont, NJ; Hattam, C . 2017 The implications of energy systems for ecosystem services: A detailed case study of offshore wind. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.248
    View publication

  3. Winship, AJ; Kinlan, BP; Ballance, LT; Joyce, T; Leirness, JB; Costa, BM; Poti, M; Miller, PI. 2016 Chapter 7: Seabirds. In: Costa, BM; Kendall, MS, (eds.) Marine Biogeographic Assessment of the Main Hawaiian Islands. Silver Spring, MD, USA, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 283-319, 359pp. (OCS Study BOEM 2016-035 and NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 214, OCS St).
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  4. Pittman, SJ; Winship, AJ; Poti, M; Kinlan, BP; Leirness, JB; Baird, RW; Barlow, J; Becker, EA; Forney, KA; Hill, MC; Miller, PI; Mobley, J; Oleson, EM. 2016 Chapter 6: Marine Mammals - Cetaceans. In: Costa, BM; Kendall, MS, (eds.) Marine Biogeographic Assessment of the Main Hawaiian Islands. Silver Spring, MD, USA, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 227-265, 359pp. (OCS Study BOEM 2016-035 and NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 214, OCS St).
    View publication

  5. Austen, MC; Hattam, C; Garrard, SL. 2015 Chapter 11: Human activities and ecosystem service use: impacts and trade-offs. In: Crowe, TP; Frid, CLJ, (eds.) Marine ecosystems: human impacts on biodiversity, functioning and services. Cambridge University Press, 335-376.
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