THE APPROACH TO SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICAS MARINE PLANNING AREAS

The document outlines a proposed spatial management system for South Africa's ocean space, divided into four bio-geographic Marine Planning Areas. It defines four high-level goals for Marine Spatial Planning: unlocking the ocean economy, engaging with the ocean, ensuring healthy marine ecosystems, and contributing to good ocean governance. The proposed system consists of general development guidelines, sector-specific guidelines, and a zoning scheme that categorizes sea use into primary, consent, and prohibited uses. Proposed zones include Conservation, Disposal, Fisheries, Heritage Conservation, Marine Aquaculture, Marine Tourism, Maritime Transport, Mining, Underwater Infrastructure, and Marine Special Economic Zones. These plans are intended to be integrated sustainable development tools that balance competing sectoral interests based on a sound evidence base and stakeholder consultation.

• South Africa's ocean space is divided into four bio-geographic planning units: the Western Marine Planning Area, the Southern Marine Planning Area, the Eastern Marine Planning Area, and the Prince Edward Islands Marine Planning Area.
• The proposed spatial management system for each Marine Area Plan consists of three components: general development guidelines, sector development guidelines, and a zoning scheme with spatial regulations.
• Marine Spatial Planning in South Africa is guided by four high-level goals: stimulating sustainable economic growth to increase GDP and create jobs (Unlocking the ocean economy); strengthening marine identity and stewardship (Engaging with the ocean); protecting and restoring marine biodiversity (Ensuring healthy marine ecosystems); and establishing collaborative decision-making between state and non-state actors (Contributing to good ocean governance).
• The zoning scheme categorizes activities into three types: 'Primary use' (given priority), 'Consent use' (compatible with primary use and approved under conditions), and 'Prohibited use' (not allowed as it would impede primary use).
• The document proposes a variety of specific zones to manage ocean space, including Conservation Zones (Strict Protection and Environmental Management), Disposal Zones (Dredge Disposal and Ammunition Dumping), Fisheries Zones (Priority, Resource Protection, and Small Scale/Subsistence), as well as zones for Heritage Conservation, Marine Aquaculture, Marine Tourism, Maritime Transport (Shipping Lanes and Anchorage), Mining, Underwater Infrastructure, and Marine Special Economic Zones.
• The boundaries of the Marine Planning Areas are defined by the high-water mark as the landward limit and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the seaward boundary and outer limit.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). THE APPROACH TO SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICAS MARINE PLANNING AREAS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/marineplanningareas_spatialmanagement_system.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. THE APPROACH TO SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICAS MARINE PLANNING AREAS. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/marineplanningareas_spatialmanagement_system.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=THE APPROACH TO SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICAS MARINE PLANNING AREAS |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/marineplanningareas_spatialmanagement_system.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndapproach, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{THE APPROACH TO SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOUTH AFRICAS MARINE PLANNING AREAS}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/marineplanningareas_spatialmanagement_system.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }