AAAS Session- Beyond lines on maps: Marine spatial planning for a dynamic world

Synopsis

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is heralded as a new approach to sustain economic, ecological and cultural resources for future generations by identifying areas best suited for various human uses.  How can we design MSP such that it accounts for the dynamic nature of oceans- variability over days, years, decades and longer?  How can we do that in a way that reflects the fluidity and complexity of ocean ecosystems and still gives users the certainty they desire?  Drawing on experience from ecology, fisheries, oceanography and law, this session highlighted cutting-edge knowledge of variability and change in marine ecosystems, the services they provide and offered innovative options to anticipate and adapt to change.

Organizers

• Karen McLeod, COMPASS
• Donald Boesch, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Speakers

• Karen McLeod, COMPASS 
  • Setting the stage

• Heather Leslie, Brown University 
  • Marine spatial planning through the lens of ecological resilience

• Dale Haidvogel, Rutgers University 
  • Making sense of variability and change in oceans: Lessons from U.S. GLOBEC

• Margaret Anne McManus, University of Hawaii at Manoa 
  • Climate, currents and connectivity: The dynamics of larval dispersal

• Heather Tallis, Stanford University 
  • Ecosystem services for the future: The marriage of biophysical and social variability

• Meg Caldwell, Stanford University 
  • An ocean policy triple play? Flexible governance, certainty and ecosystem protection

• Donald F. Boesch, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science 
  • Expecting the unexpected: An adaptive vision for marine spatial planning

Discussants

• Kai Lee, David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• Fara Courtney, Offshore Wind Collaborative/Good Harbor Consulting