Accelerating marine spatial planning in the Western Pacific region: Current status and future directions

Abstract

Determining priority areas to accelerate the marine spatial planning (MSP) process is of critical importance, particularly as countries in the Western Pacific region are increasingly embracing this approach. We unveiled the current MSP stage and fields that countries and research communities were concerned most. The results showed that China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Tonga, and Vietnam were at the mature stage; Thailand, Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Cambodia were at the intermediate stage; the other seven investigated countries were at the early stage or started to engage in MSP. The academic interest in MSP eclipsed that of Integrated Coastal Management, although both fields have continued to develop concurrently. China, Indonesia, and the Philippines were the most active in establishing international cooperation. Chinese organizations invested the most in MSP research, but the non-targeted Australian and American agencies showed an elevated influence. The fundamental principles adhered to in MSP practices were aligned with the predominant themes frequently explored in academic discourse, which mainly included sustainable development, conservation, land-sea integration, policy and legislation, participation, data and knowledge. We recommended that: (1) Legislation should be considered when developing MSP; (2) Data and knowledge on ecology and socioeconomics are of equal importance to support evidence-based MSP; (3) Decision support methodologies are good materials to complement training on MSP basics; and (4) Land-sea coordination provides a good opportunity to integrate sectors and departments. The priority areas we distilled not only align with countries’ concerns but also can be a catalyst to accelerate MSP progress in the Western Pacific region.