Film dives into sustainable ocean planning issues (Brown Daily Herald)

The public premiere showcased Rhode Island’s efforts to regulate its use of marine resources

Big Turnout at Sea Change Forums Bodes Well for Future (Scoop)

From: Scoop

21 October 2013

Big Turnout at Sea Change Forums Bodes Well for Future

A big turnout at two forums held as part of developing a Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) for the Hauraki Gulf “Sea Change” project bodes well for its success, says the chair of the project’s board Dr Roger Blakeley.

Sea Change itself is a two-year project, officially launched last month, which will develop a new spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf (Tikapa Moana/Te Moananui a Toi). In collaboration with associated interest groups, the SWG will be responsible for creating agreements about issues relevant to the gulf, and this will define the development of the eventual marine spatial plan.

U.S. Policies: Raising Red Flags Offshore (Marine Link)

From: Marine Link

National Ocean Policy, Coastal & Marine Spatial Planning: two of the biggest issues you never heard of. It’s also far more complicated than you might think.

Marine Planning Handbook (National Ocean Council)

From: National Ocean Council

[In July], the National Ocean Council released a Marine Planning Handbook to support the efforts of regions that choose to engage marine industries, stakeholders, the public, and government to advance their economic development and conservation priorities.

Each coastal  region of the country has its own interests and ways of doing business, but all regions want to support their marine economies and coastal communities. Voluntary marine planning is a science-based tool that provides regionally tailored information that all ocean interests can use to reduce conflicts, grow ocean industries, and support the healthy natural resources that our economy and communities depend on.

England’s first marine plans consultation closing soon

Anyone interested in the future of our seas can have their say before England’s first marine plans consultation closes next Tuesday.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) launched England’s first draft marine plans for the seas from Flamborough Head in the north to Felixstowe in the south in July.

The public consultation covers the Draft East Inshore and East Offshore Marine Plans. These are the first two of 11 marine plans to be delivered for England, which is one of the first countries in the world to plan across all marine activities.

NSF Funds UCSB Project to Develop Holistic Approaches for Sustainability in Rapidly Evolving Arctic (Noozhawk)

From: Noozhawk

As sea ice in the Arctic Ocean diminishes, the environmental change creates unique and extensive opportunities for international energy, fishing and tourism industries. However, these same opportunities also carry the potential for political, economic and cultural instabilities that could affect societies at all levels, all around the world.

In response, the National Science Foundation has awarded funding to a collaborative program called Holistic Integration for Arctic Coastal-Marine Sustainability (HIACMS) to be implemented by UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.