The School of Geosciences Green Economy Research Centre (GERC) is hosting Professor Marcus Haward from the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia for a seminar titled: “Development and implementation of Marine Spatial Planning in Australia – Lessons in the 20 years from the release of Australia’s Oceans Policy in 1998”.
The seminar will take place on the 15th of May at 13:00 in St Mary's Lecture Theatre 105. All are welcome to attend.
Speaker: Professor Marcus Haward is a political scientist specialising in oceans and Antarctic governance and marine resources management at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania. He has over 140 research publications, and his books include Oceans Governance in the Twenty-first Century: Managing the Blue Planet (with Joanna Vince) Edward Elgar 2008; Global Commodity Governance: State Responses to Sustainable Forest and Fisheries Certification (with Fred Gale) Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. He is currently working on oceans and Antarctic governance, knowledge systems in coastal management, marine biodiversity conservation in a changing climate and Australia's regional fisheries interests. Professor Haward is currently editor of the Australian Journal of Maritime and Oceans Affairs published by Taylor & Francis.
Abstract: Australia has responsibility for the worlds’ fourth largest maritime domain, twice its land-mass in area. This maritime domain is diverse, from topical to Antarctic waters. Its governance is equally diverse, involving complex interactions between the Australian, and state and territory governments. Australia has had longstanding interests in marine environmental management, developing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and its associated management regimes in 1975, an early and innovative approach to marine spatial planning. The state and territory governments have also developed legislation, policy and programs that important and manage marine spatial planning in waters under their jurisdiction, including areas where indigenous peoples have management rights and responsibilities.
This paper explores how the challenges of managing the demands of multi-level governance that arose in the development of Australia’ Oceans Policy, and continued to impact on its implementation. Twenty years on we have greater understanding of vulnerabilities and threats, as well as policy tools, to manage Australia’s marine domain, but have little current coordination or integration of ocean management; key aspirations from the 1998 policy. Australia’s oceans policy is fragmented and contested with few legacies remaining from the 1998 framework. The paper concludes with considering lessons from the Australian experience for future marine spatial planning.