The Situation
The MA Oceans Act of 2008 required public/stakeholder participation during plan development.
The Project
The Massachusetts Ocean Partnership provided extensive technical and logistical support for EEA-led stakeholder workshops in 2008 and 2009. MOP supported meeting process design, public relations, advertising and announcements, materials development; hosted live online virtual meetings and archival video webcasting; and created and distributed meeting reports/summaries.
Role in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
CMSP must be both science-based and stakeholder informed. Active stakeholder participation is the hallmark of a robust marine spatial planning effort.
Challenges & Applications
The tight ocean planning timeline did not allow for significant advance notice of workshops (however, meeting attendance both in person and online was robust). Dual meeting hosting (in person and online) is a viable option for large geographic regions.
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A transparent, open and accessible process where stakeholder involvement is encouraged is essential to the success of coastal and marine spatial planning and the acceptance of resultant plans. |
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