Enhancing marine biodiversity conservation through maritime spatial planning

This paper studies the use of maritime spatial planning as a tool for marine and coastal biodiversity conservation through the case study of the Edough MPA in Algeria. It aims to emphasize the necessity of such concepts in the country’s maritime governance policies, especially with the growing attention the Algerian government gives to blue economy and the establishment of marine protected areas lately, and with the increasing competition over marine space and its resources. A mixed methodological approach was applied, combining space-use mapping on QGIS, and stakeholder analysis through actor mapping on MACTOR, along with a series of interviews with local and national key stakeholders. Results indicate that indeed the use of MSP tools contributes to a better framing of the MPA’s establishment and future management. Mapping the activities in and around the area illustrates their layout and highlights space-use overlaps. Stakeholder analysis helps engaging them in the process and studies their interactions. This allows to identify key actors, as well as possible gaps between conceptual and operational aspects of activities aligned with Good Ecological Status standards. This is done considering their conflict and alliance potentials, convergences and divergences around conservation objectives and capacity of action. MSP thus puts biodiversity conservation processes in perspective within holistic maritime governance policies by highlighting and predicting user-user, and user-environment interactions and potential conflicts or alliances.