Marine Spatial Planning in US Waters: An Assessment and Analysis of Existing Legal Mechanisms, Anticipated Barriers, and Future Opportunities
Marine spatial planning (MSP) can be an effective tool for implementing ecosystem-based management to protect, maintain, and restore ocean ecosystem health; to reduce user conflicts; and to foster sustainable development. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island have undertaken MSP processes. MSP has reduced conflicts and improved planning in the North Sea. Now, President Obama’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force is poised to present a proposed framework for MSP at the federal level. In this context, Ocean Conservancy commissioned the attached report by the Environmental Law Institute reviewing the U.S. legal framework for ocean management and assessing the most relevant federal statutes to determine how they could encourage or hinder MSP.
The report is attached and available to download at http://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/ocean_projects.cfm.