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Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning: NOAA Sea Grant Filling a Crucial Niche | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Erica Goldman, formerly of Maryland Sea Grant, and Elizabeth Ban, National Sea Grant Office
How can we manage such complex ecosystems in a way that integrates ecological, social, and economic goals? According to the National Ocean Policy, the answer is through Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP). The National Ocean Policy defines CMSP as a "comprehensive, adaptive, integrated, ecosystem-based, and transparent spatial planning process, based on sound science, for analyzing current and anticipated uses of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes areas." By planning for specific uses of these resources, we can ensure we have set aside the right areas for different uses and thereby reduce user conflicts and environmental impacts. CMSP is geared to preserve ecosystem functions so that economies, societies and the natural environment are balanced with one another into the future. CMSP is a natural fit for NOAA Sea Grant. Research support for sound science, sustained facilitation and coordination, stakeholder communication and education - all hallmarks of CMSP - are the strengths of Sea Grant. From all over the United States, Sea Grant-supported scientific research has expanded to meet the needs of interconnected social-natural ecosystems. Such research, integrated with policy, has helped pioneer institutional or interstate commitments that are working to forge a new way forward.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., joined Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and other national and state leaders to recognize the pioneering Rhode Island Ocean SAMP and provide NOAA's approval. Dr. Lubchenco lauded the plan and the cooperative effort that went into its development. "This plan takes into account all ocean uses for enhancing commercial, recreational and environmental goals. This plan is what President Obama envisioned in the National Ocean Policy, and it sets a great example for other coastal states," said Lubchenco.
"It is the best case I have ever seen of a well-thought out, organized eco-social process with a common language and clear goals. Ocean stewards everywhere will be attracted to not only the findings, but also to how a small group of people retained the interest and excitement of such diverse stakeholders." |
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August 5, 2011 |
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![]() CLIMATE · OCEANS, GREAT LAKES, and COASTS · WEATHER
and AIR QUALITY |