Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Solomon Islands

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

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 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

ecosystems are worth billions of dollars to Solomon Islands every year.

objectives, aiming for sustainable marine re- source use and prosperous blue economies.

The previous section on “Valuing” revealed the diversity and richness of Solomon Is- lands’ biophysical features, the ecosystems they underpin, and the many goods and ser- vices they provide to Solomon Islands. This section will look at how the many human uses of these values interact and how these uses can be planned. More than 98 per cent of Solomon Islands’ total jurisdiction is ocean. The ocean is vital- ly important to Solomon Islands, providing food and income, coastal protection, carbon storage, and essential habitat for marine plants and animals. Furthermore, coasts and oceans are heavily intertwined with Solo- mon Islands’ cultures, traditional knowledge and practices, while the economic, social and ecological benefits provided by marine

will reduce the conflicts between the marine environment’s different users and uses, while maximizing the social, economic and ecolog- ical benefits people receive from the ocean. The maps in this chapter show how Solomon Islands can plan the uses of the rich values its marine ecosystems provide, be it fishing, tourism, mining or vessel traffic. At the same time, MSP is also a powerful tool for avoiding conflicts and managing threats, such as ma- rine debris, pollution or impacts from climate change, as featured in the maps.

Despite the high value of the ocean to Sol- omon Islanders, to date, national develop- ment and conservation planning has largely focused on land. However, recent studies show that better planning for oceans can bring significant economic, social and envi- ronmental benefits. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) can help Solomon Islands realize and maintain these benefits. 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

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 (LMMAs), or MPAs. However, some of these existing examples have, at times, been declared opportunistically without an overarching and integrated planning process. When declared in isolation, 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 process

Further reading: http://macbio-pacific.info/ marine-ecosystem-service-valuation/

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS

PLANNING

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