A typology of different perspectives on the spatial economic impacts of Marine Spatial Planning

Abstract

Marine Spatial Planning aims to create a framework for the oceans and seas that minimise conflicts between economic activities within the marine environment while maintaining good environmental status. Although reports by international – and national – organisations suggest there are economic benefits to Marine Spatial Planning this analysis has, to date, been aspatial. Employing an explorative Q methodology approach with ten participants, this paper seeks to address this spatial and distributive gap by exploring stakeholders (marine renewable energy, fishing industry, aquaculture and marine tourism) perceptions of the economic impacts of Marine Spatial Planning across varying (local to national) geographical scales in the UK. The paper develops a typology of three different perspectives on the economic impacts of Marine Spatial Planning: the optimistic ‘place-makers’; the sceptical ‘place-holders’; and the utilitarian ‘placeless’. Findings highlight that participants loading onto a specific ‘type’ cannot simply be explained by stakeholder categorisation. This research contributes to the coastal management literature by identifying differing perceptions on the ‘spatial economic impact’ of Marine Spatial Planning by economic actors utilising marine and coastal areas in the UK.