The Goal: Sustainable Economies & Societies
The ultimate aim of coastal and marine spatial planning is to foster sustainable economies and societies. We all depend on the ocean every day; it’s in our best interest to ensure that ocean ecosystems are healthy and resilient so they can continue to provide the services we want and need, including:
- Jobs: hundreds of thousands of directly and indirectly marine dependant careers and related occupations (in association with all services below).
- Food: finfish, shellfish (e.g., clams, mussels, oysters), crustaceans (e.g., shrimp, lobster), kelp, etc.
- Recreation/Culture: fishing, power boating, sailing, sightseeing, whale watching, diving, surfing, historical sites, religious/sacred seascapes, etc.
- Commerce/Shipping/Transportation: foods, building materials, cars/trucks, computers, oil, natural gas, ferries, etc.
- Renewable Energy: wind, wave, tidal, etc.
- Biodiversity/Habitats: Conservation of special, threatened and endangered species, etc.
- Atmospheric/Climate Regulation: temperature, storm moderation, oxygen generation, carbon dioxide adsorption, etc.
- Science/Research: education, pharmaceuticals and other products, basic and applied science, etc.
- Waste Disposal: discharge of treated human waste and storm water runoff
- State/National Security: coast guard, navy, port authority, etc.