The significance of maritime spatial planning for the management of marine space with particular reference to Maltese marine waters

Abstract

The marine environment provides a foundation for all life. It serves a multitude of purposes ranging from environmental ones to others of a socio-economic nature. The adoption of a sector by sector approach to the regulation of the multifarious maritime activities has thwarted states’ efforts to protect and manage sustainably the marine environment. Against this context, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as an ecosystem-based tool which seeks to enhance the decision-making process by providing a framework which arbitrates between competing human activities while simultaneously striving to achieve the sustainable use of marine resources. As an island state, Malta is an intrinsically maritime nation. A plethora of maritime activities, which happen to converge on limited accessible coastline, take place within the islands’ disproportionately extensive marine waters. The intensification and diversification of these activities has aggravated the race for space, inevitably leading to the creation of more conflicts. On this basis, and given that the islands’ surrounding waters hold great potential, effective implementation of MSP is paramount in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine resources. As a result, throughout this study, the author sets himself to analyse the MSP-related policy and legislative frameworks applicable to Malta in order to be able to assess whether an integrated, cross-sectoral approach is being effectively implemented. Following a meticulous analysis of the current state of Maltese marine waters as well as the above stated policy and legislative landscape, the author, taking note of Malta’s unique maritime reality, puts forward a set of proposals which are intended to facilitate the adoption of a holistic approach for the management of the islands’ marine space.