Marine Spatial Planning: Norway´s management plans
Original version
This report is not to be quoted without prior consultation with the General Secretary.Abstract
Since
the
adoption
of
a
government
white
paper
on
ocean
governance
in
2001,
Norway
has
worked
on
the
development
and
implementation
of
marine
spatial
planning
in
the
format
of
regional
management
plans.
Management
plans
for
the
Barents
Sea
and
the
oceans
off
northern
Norway
and
the
Norwegian
Sea
were
adopted
in
2006
and
2009,
respectively,
and
a
management
plan
for
the
North
Sea
is
planned
for
2013.
A
key
aspect
of
the
plans
is
integrated
assessment
of
the
cumulative
impacts
on
marine
ecosystem
from
human
activities
(fisheries,
petroleum,
marine
transportation,
etc)
on
the
one
hand,
and
external
sources
(climate
change,
long
range
pollution)
on
the
other.
Another
important
feature
is
the
identification
of
valuable
and
vulnerable
areas
requiring
special
management
measures.
These
valuable
areas
have
been
used
as
input
to
define
the
spatial
measures
in
the
plans
which
includes
routing
systems
for
international
ship
traffic
and
zoning
plans
for
petroleum
activities.
Fishing
activities
is
also
partially
regulated
used
spatial
measures
such
as
MPAs
and
temporary
closed
areas.
A
monitoring
system
is
set
up
with
indicators
and
reference
levels.
The
plan
has
been
implemented
through
the
regular
governance
structure
without
the
establishment
of
new,
formal
institutions
or
new
jurisdiction.
An
inter-- ]ministerial
committee
oversees
the
work,
guided
by
three
working
groups.
A
revised
version
of
the
Barents
Sea
plan
will
be
adopted
late
in
2010,
taking
marine
spatial
planning
in
Norway
into
its
second
generation.
Key
words:
Marine
spatial
planning,
Norway,
Barents
Sea,
ecosystem
approach