ABSTRACT
Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged in recent years as a tool for sea use management. A process that brings together multiple users of the marine environment to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably, MSP has been heralded as a means by which to reduce conflict over marine and coastal resources. An overview of marine spatial planning is provided in this chapter, as is some examples of MSP processes that have been undertaken, particularly focusing on how they dealt with issues of conflict. Like the previous chapter, the marine spatial planning process is examined to identify if, and how, it can address the four sets of perceptions which may exacerbate marine and coastal conflict: our rights (or lack of) to common resources, our needs for social justice, threats to our wellbeing, and poor governance. MSP is a relatively new marine governance approach, but one which shows great potential for addressing some of the factors which may cause conflict.
