Marine Spatial Planning: Ecosystem-based zoning methodology for marine management in South Australia

Marine spatial planning, for the purpose of ocean zoning, is a relatively new concept that is being explored by different countries to better manage development and use in marine ecosystems. The state of South Australia has introduced the first ecosystem-based zoning model for near shore waters with the release of the Marine Planning Framework for South Australia. A large database of habitat and species diversity was collected for the Spencer Gulf, South Australia. These data were analysed using GIS to produce a graphical depiction of the Gulf in which 5x5 km planning units (PUs) were assigned an ecological rating depending on the amount of habitats and species within those units. Multivariate analysis, uncertainty analysis and sensitivity analyses were then used to confirm the robustness of the GIS-based model. The strength of this zoning model is the simplicity with which ratings can be applied to PUs representing small geographic areas. However, there are limitations to this model related to available spatial data within the marine environment, method for distributing zones, and the inclusion of information on dynamic processes. The marine plans, which will be produced based on this model, will guide decision-making authorities on appropriate levels of development and use in the marine ecosystems of South Australia without comprising whole ecosystem functioning.