Learning from Experience: Lessons from Community-based Engagement for Improving Participatory Marine Spatial Planning

ABSTRACT

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is critiqued for inadequate stakeholder engagement practices, particularly for determining community-level interests. Community engagement is foundational to community planning, a local-level process in terrestrial planning. This study compared the community engagement experiences of practitioners in local and national-level organizations in Nova Scotia, Canada, likely to participate in MSP to participatory best practice principles identified in the terrestrial planning and environmental management literature. Giving more attention to knowledge and skills of local government and community groups could strengthen participatory practices in MSP, link community and marine planning, and increase the relevance of MSP for coastal community development.

KEYWORDS:

• Community-based engagement
• engagement principles
• marine spatial planning
• Nova Scotia
• participatory processes

Acknowledgements

The contributions of the interview participants in this study are acknowledged with thanks. Feedback and insights from members of the Marine Spatial Planning research group of the Ocean Frontier Institute Social License and Planning for Coastal Communities Module at Dalhousie University informed and enhanced this research. Administrative support was provided by the Dalhousie School of Planning and the Dalhousie School of Information Management.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare in conducting this research.

Data availability statement

All relevant data are included within the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, through the Ocean Frontier Institute.