Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Kiribati

PLANNING The previous section on “Valuing” revealed the diversity and richness of Kiribati’s biophysical features, the ecosystems they underpin and the many goods and services they provide to Kiribati. This section will look at how the many human uses of these values interact and how these uses can be planned.

MSP can help address these issues. Similar to land-use planning but relating instead to the sea, it is a tool in the marine resource management toolbox that also includes input controls (e.g. on fishing effort), process controls (e.g. permits) and output controls (e.g. quotas). MSP is an intersectoral and participatory planning process that seeks to balance ecological, economic and social objectives, aiming for sustainable marine re- source use and prosperous blue economies. The concept of MSP is not new and coun- tries are already applying aspects of it, such as designated shipping lanes, fishing areas, locally managed marine areas or MPAs. However, some of these existing examples have, at times, been declared opportunisti-

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) can help Kiri- bati realize and maintain these benefits.

cally without an overarching and integrated planning process. When declared in isola- tion, individual spatial planning tools may not secure the ecosystem services that people rely on in the medium and long term. A more comprehensive and integrated MSP process can support and guide sectoral planning efforts, but does not replace sec- toral planning. A more holistic MSP pro- cess will reduce the conflicts between the marine environment’s different users and uses, while maximizing the social, econom- ic and ecological benefits people receive from the ocean.

More than 98 per cent of Kiribati’s total juris- diction is ocean. The ocean is vitally impor- tant to Kiribati, providing food and income, coastal protection, carbon storage and essential habitat for marine plants and ani- mals. Furthermore, coasts and oceans are heavily intertwined with Kiribati’s cultures, traditional knowledge and practices, while the economic, social and ecological benefits provided by marine ecosystems are worth billions of dollars to I-Kiribati every year. Despite the high value of the ocean to I-Kiribati, to date, national development and conservation planning has largely focused on land. However, recent studies show that bet- ter planning for oceans can bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits.

marine ecosystems provide, be it fishing, tourism, mining or vessel traffic. At the same time, MSP is also a powerful tool for avoid- ing conflicts and managing threats, such as marine debris, pollution or impacts from climate change, as featured in the maps.

MSP is most useful if countries: • have (or expect) human activities that ad- versely affect biodiversity in marine areas • have (or expect) competing human activi- ties within a given marine area • need to decide which marine spaces are most suitable for new or additional economic development activities such as tourism, deep-sea mining or mariculture • want to prioritize marine resource man- agement efforts in parts of, or all, marine areas or • need a vision or scenarios of what marine areas could or should look like in another 10, 20 or 30 years

Further reading: www. macbio-pacific.info/ marine-spatial-planning

The maps in this chapter show how Kiri- bati can plan the uses of the rich values its

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR KIRIBATI

PLANNING

35