Using systematic conservation planning to align priority areas for biodiversity and nature-based activities in marine spatial planning: A real-world application in contested marine space

To support sustainable growth of ocean-based economies, many countries are engaging in marine spatial planning (MSP) processes, which require robust decision-support tools. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is commonly used in decision-making to guide spatially efficient protected area expansion. Here we contend that SCP can also be used to streamline MSP negotiations by developing a coherent, integrated portfolio of sites for multiple sectors that depend on biodiversity being maintained in a good state, as a counterpoint to spatial priorities for those commercial and industrial activities that have negative environmental impacts. We demonstrate this in Algoa Bay, South Africa, given the social-ecological complexity of the bay, and its central location in the first national MSP process. In anticipation of this national process, a civil-society-led Community of Practice was established with a core team to lead stakeholder engagement, data acquisition and management, and SCP analyses. More than 500 stakeholders participated in the project and many contributed spatial data or engaged in expert-based participatory mapping. Spatial products were supplemented with existing, published datasets. Altogether, conservation targets were set for 115 biodiversity features and 22 nature-based activities, with the cost layer built from data on 10 commercial and industrial activities, cumulative pressures (n = 31) on ecosystems, and planning-unit area. All targets were met in 15% of the study area, of which only a third (4%) was outside of marine protected areas, demonstrating that it is possible to align multi-sector priorities for intact biodiversity. This approach can be widely applied in MSP to support sustainable ocean economies.

Automated summary

This article discusses the application of systematic conservation planning in marine spatial planning, aiming to streamline negotiations and promote collaboration among multiple sectors. Using the case study of Algoa Bay in South Africa, the success in meeting the priority of intact biodiversity among different sectors was demonstrated through a collaborative community practice approach.