Journal
MARINE POLICY
Volume 98, Issue -, Pages 23-32Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.09.006
Keywords
Cumulative effects assessment; Cumulative impact; Marine management; Marine spatial planning; Social-ecological systems; Ecosystem approach
Categories
Funding
- Natural Environment Research Council Industrial CASE studentship [NE/L009668/1]
- Cefas Divisional Funding
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the MINERVA project [ME5213]
- Cefas Seedcorn initiative
- EPSRC/ESRC International Centre for Infrastructure Futures (ICIF) [EP/K012347/1]
- PANGALIA Environmental
- EPSRC [EP/K012347/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- NERC [NE/J000884/1, NE/N01765X/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Cumulative effects assessments are a legal requirement in many jurisdictions and are key to informing marine policy. However, practice does not yet deliver fit-for-purpose assessments relative to sustainable development and environmental protection obligations. The complexity of cumulative effect questions, which are embedded in complex social-ecological systems, makes multiple, methodologically diverse assessments a necessity. Using the expansion of marine renewable energy developments in European Union waters as a case study, this paper explores how social-ecological systems thinking and cumulative effects assessment theory can combine to structure CEAs that better support the management and regulation of maritime activities at regional scales. A general perspective for cumulative effects assessment is proposed to remove ambiguity of intent and to orient assessments towards a common objective. Candidate principles for practice are presented for consideration. These principles are integrated into a stepped assessment approach that seeks to improve cumulative effects assessments of localised activities relative to the information needs of decision-makers implementing the ecosystem approach.
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