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Marine Spatial Planning

MARINE
SPATIAL PLANNING

The FSM, through Blue Prosperity Micronesia (BPM), is engaged in a landmark effort to create Marine Spatial Plans, which will provide national and state policymakers with the tools and knowledge they

need to make informed decisions on marine resource management.

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The Marine Spatial Plans will consist of offshore and coastal planning processes:

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  • The offshore Marine Spatial Plan 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 Marine Spatial Plans 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.

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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:

 

  • National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA)

  • Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management (DECEM)

  • FSM Department of Resources & Development (R&D)

  • FSM State Focal Points

  • Micronesia Conservation Trust

  • The Nature Conservancy

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The coastal Marine Spatial Plan (0-12 nautical miles) processes will be developed by state government and stakeholders.

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OFFSHORE MARINE SPATIAL PLAN
MILESTONES

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2021

BPM Task Force agreed upon goals and objectives for offshore MSP, building on national targets and international commitments.

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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.  

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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.

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2023

BPM facilitated a workshop for 20+ national and state government officials to draft offshore MSP scenarios.

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2023

BPM Task Force endorsed two draft offshore MSP scenarios for public consultations.

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100+ countries around the globe are using Marine Spatial Planning to manage their ocean economies.

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