Marine spatial planning and various uses and interests relating to the marine environment

The oceans are increasingly busy spaces that provide a cornucopia of goods and services for society. These ecosystem services include a range of living and non-living resources for consumption, including fisheries or minerals; waste and carbon assimilation; coastal protection; and spaces for recreation, introspection and cultural importance (Potts et al., 2014). With increasing demands for resources and use of marine space, conflicts are emerging between existing and ancient practices such as fishing and shipping and the innovative forms of development such as marine renewable energy and ecotourism. When practices interact, and increasingly collide, conflict between users can emerge and reduce the effectiveness of economic development and environmental protection by the fragmentation or ineffective delivery of policy.