Namibia's way to Marine Spatial Planning - Using existing practices or instigating its own approach?

The territorial waters and EEZ of Namibia are part of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem in the South-East Atlantic. Growing demands and conflicts emerge although the area is not as intensely used as marine areas elsewhere. Namibia has chosen Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as an integrated approach to facilitate sustainable ocean development and improved ocean governance. The paper explores the reality of the Namibian MSP process to date by investigating two guiding research questions: (1) What makes the Namibian approach to MSP distinct? and (2) What are the opportunities and difficulties of the Namibian MSP process in that particular context? The country's approach to MSP features a series of distinct attributes, not least due to its unique environmental and socio-economic context. Namibian MSP is highly precautionary and forward-looking given the relatively low intensity of current uses, has a strong ecosystem-based perspective due to the fairly pristine environment, is driven by a social equity and distributive justice agenda, and features a strong collaborative process governance. Whilst challenges such as limited financial resources, lacking legislation and weak links to broader ocean governance exist, the MSP process, which was linked to a systematic conservation planning process from the outset, has however resulted in a clear framework for the development of the first marine plan.

Marine Spatial Planning in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem.

The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) in the south-east Atlantic covers the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ's) of Angola and Namibia and partly of South Africa. Increasing demands, user-user and user-environment conflicts occur throughout the area. The three countries, which are parties to the Benguela Current Convention (BCC), have begun to implement Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to support the sustainable development of the area and enhance ocean governance. This makes the region one of the first in a developing economies context and on the African continent to introduce MSP. The article (1) traces the origin of MSP in the region and describes the reasons for its development, (2) reviews the status of MSP processes to date at the regional and national level, and (3) reflects on the regional and individual country processes in terms of differences and similarities in approach and process governance, shared opportunities and difficulties. The study finds that MSP in the region is introduced because of both strong interests to use it as a means to help grow the blue/ocean economy and as a mechanism to further the implementation of the ecosystem approach. Similar steps have been taken so far and alike approaches to MSP exist across the three countries, with the BCC as regional convention facilitating knowledge sharing and assisting to improve cross-border coherence and consistency on MSP from the outset. Although challenges, such as limited finances and data gaps exist both at national and regional level, the MSP processes to-date have created an enabling environment to develop the first marine spatial plans in each country and to exchange knowledge and experiences within the region and with other regions.