Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a process that brings together multiple users of the ocean, including energy, industry, government, conservation and recreation to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably.
MSP generally uses maps to create a more comprehensive picture of a marine area, identifying where and how an ocean area is being used and what natural resources and habitat exist. It is similar to land-use planning, but for marine waters.
MSP serves as a decision-making process to determine the organization of human activities and to facilitate the achievement of or shift towards sustainable paths in meeting the economic, environmental and social needs of societies. In practice, MSP is considered an enabler of the blue economy because it:
