Document: National Framework for Marine Spatial Planning in South Africa (2017)

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Date: 14 April 2020
• Pages: 149-188
• Citation: 2018 JOLGA 149
• Published date: 14 April 2020
• Author: Unavailable

149

NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR MARINE

SPATIAL PLANNING IN SOUTH AFRICA1

I CONTEXT

1.1 Purpose of the South African marine spatial planning

framework

The purpose of this document is to provide the framework for

marine spatial planning (MSP) in South Africa’s ocean space. It

provides high-level direction for undertaking MSP in the context

of the South African legislation and policies as well as existing

planning regimes. It describes the process for the preparation of

marine area plans (MAPs) and their implementation, in order

to ensure consistency in MSP across the South African ocean

space.

The framework will facilitate the development, imple-

mentation, monitoring and revision of MAPs. Through this

MSP system, the sustainable development of South Africa’s

ocean space will be enabled. MSP will provide the following

benefits for the South African nation:

• facilitate the unlocking of the ocean economy and sustainable

ocean economic development;

• enhance the achievement of societal benefits and strengthen

the level of society’s interaction with the ocean;

• promote a healthy marine environment and the sustainable

use of marine resources; and

• contribute to good ocean governance.

The framework is aimed at guiding the national regulatory

authorities as the responsible entities for MAP preparation and

implementation in South Africa.

1.2 The concept of marine spatial planning

Oceans are fundamental for human well-being and provide

valuable ecosystem services. The organisation of the use of the

ocean wealth has been through the designation of marine space

for human activities such as fisheries and aquaculture, oil and

1 Published under GN 451 in GG 40860 of 26 May 2017. The document

has been adapted to the Journal’s editorial style and some of the

footnotes have been added or amended. Some of the illustrations have

not been included.

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2018 JOLGA 149

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150 JOURNAL OF OCEAN LAW & GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA

gas exploitation, transport and offshore renewable energy. Such

planning and management of human uses in the ocean space has

usually been pursued on a sectoral basis. Sectoral regulation has

however little or no consideration of policies and plans of other

sectors or requirements that may be conflicting or compatible.

In many countries, this situation has already caused conflicts

among human uses or between the marine environment and

human uses, when the effects of human activities on the marine

environment are not taken into consideration adequately. Such

conflicts affect the ability of the ocean to provide the kind of

services upon which humans and emerging economies depend.

This single-sector planning and management approach also

limits the capacity of decision-makers to pro-actively shape

and plan for the future, rather than reacting and navigating

into conflict that minimises the sustainable growth of their

countries.

As a response, MSP is an approach to improving the rational

planning, management and governance of ocean space and

marine resources. MSP entails a development planning

approach for marine areas by more coherently organising the use

of space to guide single-sector decision-making and provide for

comprehensive, integrated and complementary planning and

management. MSP offers a practical way to address both specific

challenges and select appropriate management strategies to

maintain a good status of ecosystem health that will, in turn,

facilitate the advancement of national and regional economic

and socio-cultural development.

MSP is an emerging process that is being implemented by

an increasing number of countries. Initially, MSP was mainly

limited to those countries witnessing mounting conflicts

between competing human uses in their ocean space. This

includes many European countries, but also the United

States of America, New Zealand and China. However, MSP

is increasingly being introduced in developing world regions

with emerging economies. South Africa is now working with

its neighbouring countries, in particular under the Benguela

Current Commission, and cooperating with other international

partners, such as the Kingdom of Norway and the Federal

Republic of Germany, in developing the necessary capacities

to pursue MSP.

By embracing the application of the MSP process, South Africa

will obtain economic, social, ecological and governance benefits

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National Framework for Marine Spatial Planning in South Africa 151

that will contribute to achieving sustainable development and

facilitating the reaching of its national development objectives.

The process of MSP in South Africa will promote a culture of

good ocean governance and thereby:

• achieve integration among different objectives and economic

sectors;

• manage competing demands on its ocean space;

• enable the co-existence of compatible activities wherever

possible; and

• enable coordination with terrestrial and coastal planning as

much as possible.

II MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING IN SOUTH AFRICA

2.1 Definition of marine spatial planning in South Africa

MSP is defined in this Framework as follows: ‘MSP is the

governance process of collaboratively assessing and managing

the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities to

achieve economic, social and ecological objectives’.

2.2 The characteristics of South Africa’s marine spatial

planning process

The South African MSP process will reflect the following

characteristics:

Area-based: focusing on marine spaces that people can

understand, relate to and care for;

Integrated: across sectors, agencies, entities and departments,

and among spheres of government;

Multi-objective: maximising the benefits to all sectors in a

sustainable way;

Participatory and coordinated: actively involving all relevant

stakeholders in the process to ensure a long-term and

coordinated support for management;

Ecosystem-based: balancing economic, social and ecological

goals and objectives toward achieving sustainable development

with a focus on maintaining the provision of ecosystem services

over time;

Strategic and future-oriented: considering alternative means to

achieve the desired vision; and

Continuing and adaptive: promoting a learning-by-doing

approach that enables the acceleration of the planning and

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