Marine Spatial Planning (OCEAN)
Spatial planning is gaining momentum as an effective means to protect sensitive marine ecosystems around the world. Ecotrust brings years of experience to the design and implementation of spatial planning frameworks. Our methods, analyses and tools illuminate the human dimensions of ecosystem management.
Since 2001, Ecotrust has worked with state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and fishing communities to offer integrated ecological and economic assessments of fishery policy and marine conservation. We offer a range of consulting services and custom-developed tools to enable participatory spatial planning, from conception to implementation and monitoring.
Ongoing Projects
California's Marine Life Protection Act Initiative
Ecotrust is working with California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to incorporate local knowledge into the design of a state-wide marine protected area (MPA) network. Our work began along the Central Coast and in 2007 contributed to the designation of 29 marine protected areas. In 2007-09 this work extended to the North Central, South, and North Coasts, where Ecotrust interviewed over 1,000 commercial and recreational fishermen. The MLPA Initiative is expected to complete its MPA designations by 2011. Learn more about Ecotrust's work in the MLPA.
Oregon's Territorial Sea Planning
Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals require the state "to conserve marine resources and ecological functions for the purpose of providing long-term ecological, economic, and social value and benefits to future generations." Ecotrust's spatial planning tools and analyses will inform the state's revision of its Territorial Sea Plan (TSP). To inform the TSP, Ecotrust is collecting spatial information on marine uses that provide economic and sociocultural benefits. Learn more about Ecotrust's work in the TSP.
Additional Projects
We are assisting the nonprofit organization, Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI) to evaluate the biological performance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Sea of Cortez, and we are documenting and characterizing harvest practices and understanding of the Bering Sea ecosystem structure and function as part of the North Pacific Research Board Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program.
Past Projects
Ecotrust's marine spatial planning work began in 2001, with the Groundfish Fleet Restructuring Information and Analysis Project. Together with our partners at the Pacific Marine Conservation Council, we developed a set of analytical tools and proposals to support the Pacific Fishery Management Council's restructuring of the coast-wide (California, Oregon and Washington) groundfish fleet.
We supported the Joint Management Plan Review (JMPR) of three California National Marine Sanctuaries by creating fisheries profiles and analyses of the ways in which commercial fishermen use and value the Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.
Other past projects include catch share assessment of British Columbia's commercial ocean fisheries and a socioeconomic baseline assessment for the Pribilof Islands Collaborative.
Spatial Planning Tools
Ecotrust embraces an open development philosophy and publishes each of the tools below under an open source license. Our consulting services enable the adoption the these tools to specific needs and the analysis of their spatial outputs.
Open OceanMap
Ecotrust's award-winning Open OceanMap allows users to build local participation into the marine spatial planning process. Enabling the compilation of expert knowledge about the economic importance of fishing grounds or other marine resources, Open OceanMap helps scientists, managers and communities understand the ecosystem in a social context. Learn more about Open OceanMap.
MarineMap
MarineMap is a real-time, web-based decision support tool that allows users to create, compare, analyze and discuss alternative spatial planning proposals. The MarineMap Consortium includes the University of California Santa Barbara, The Nature Conservancy and Ecotrust. Learn more about MarineMap.
Additional Tools
Ecotrust is currently developing two additional tools. Eureka is a web-based tool for evaluating the biological performance of Marine Protected Areas. With Eureka, managers can easily aggregate monitoring data from a wide number of participants. Delphos is a decision support tool for performing multi-criteria analysis in support of spatial planning.
Research
In 2005, Ecotrust joined with Oregon State University to copublish Place Matters: Geospatial Tools for Marine Science, Conservation, and Management in the Pacific Northwest, an early exploration of the use of geographic information systems in ecosystem -based management.
Throughout the MLPA Initiative process and together with research partners at the Centre for Applied Environmental Decision Analysis at the University of Queensland, Ecotrust has tested the effectiveness of MLPA protected area network designs in protecting marine habitats while minimizing social and economic impacts on fishermen and coastal communities. This research was published in the papers:
