Marine Spatial Planning
MARINE
SPATIAL PLANNING
The FSM, through Blue Prosperity Micronesia (BPM), is engaged in a landmark effort to create Marine
Spatial Plans (MSP), which will provide national and state policymakers with the tools and knowledge they
need to make informed decisions on marine resource management.
The Marine Spatial Plans will consist of offshore and coastal planning processes. The offshore MSP will establish use zones and conservation areas to support FSM's goals in its offshore waters, defined as the ocean space 12-200 nautical miles from the coast. The coastal MSPs will be developed with state governments and stakeholders and will cover the waters under state jurisdictions, from 0-12 nautical miles from the coast.
WHAT IS
MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING?
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a process to plan the use and development of coastal and marine areas. This is a public, stakeholder-driven and science-based process that involves mapping out different activities and uses in a specific marine area, such as shipping lanes, fishing grounds, and tourism sites, and then determining how they can best coexist and be managed sustainably.
WHO IS
INVOLVED
The offshore Marine Spatial Plan will establish zones and conservation areas in offshore waters, 12-200 nautical miles from the coast. It is being developed by a working group of technical experts from:
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National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA)
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Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management (DECEM)
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FSM Department of Resources & Development (R&D)
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FSM State Focal Points
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Micronesia Conservation Trust
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The Nature Conservancy
The coastal Marine Spatial Plan (0-12 nautical miles) processes will be developed by state government and stakeholders.
OFFSHORE MSP
MILESTONES
2021
BPM Task Force agreed upon goals and objectives for offshore MSP, building on national targets and international commitments.
2022
DoJ and State AGs finalized the Marine Spatial Act of 2022 – legislation that, once enacted, would create the legal framework to establish and govern an MSP in offshore waters.
2022
R&D, NORMA and DECEM completed a spatial assessment of offshore waters, identifying areas of priority for conservation while minimizing impact to tuna fisheries.
2023
BPM facilitated a workshop for 20+ national and state government officials to draft offshore MSP scenarios.
2023
BPM Task Force endorsed two draft offshore MSP scenarios for public consultations.
