Abstract
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has gained rapid and wide acceptance, emerging as the predominant strategy for marine resource management on a global scale. In initiating MSP in 2019, Canada is advancing MSP processes in five bioregions. MSP faces both conceptual and practical challenges, however. Notably, social science scholars criticize MSP stakeholder engagement for being tokenistic, especially of local community-level stakeholders. Reimagining a community-oriented MSP requires implementing meaningful local stakeholder engagement. Based on an analysis of interviews and focus groups with stakeholders from seven coastal communities in the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy bioregion (SS-BoF), this study is identifying key elements to foster effective local-level engagement in MSP. This poster will describe the results, focusing on four fundamental components of effective participation: Who participates? How are stakeholders engaged? When are stakeholders engaged? And at what level of the planning processes are stakeholders involved? Moreover, the analysis has determined barriers and enablers for engaging community-level stakeholders, as well as their interests and concerns regarding MSP. A locally adapted MSP for the SS-BoF is technically feasible. This MSP needs to entail creating enabling conditions for its implementation, such as informing local actors about what MSP is, how it works, and how they can contribute to the process, as well as strengthening trust between coastal communities and governmental institutions. Giving attention to the combination of these conditions will promote meaningful local stakeholder engagement, making MSP relevant to coastal communities in the region, and help to overcome tokenistic participation.
Citation
Martinez Calderson, D. MacDonald, B. H., & Manuel, P. Disrupting tokenistic participation: A paradigm shift in marine spatial planning for the coastal communities of Nova Scotia. ACCESS/BoFEP 2024, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, 4-7 June 2024.
References
Khan, J., Legault, A., Margeson, K., Martinez Calderon, D. & Wells, P. G. (4 July 2024). “Tides of Change” – The ACCESS-Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership Conference, 4-7 June 2024. EIUI Blog. https://eiui.ca/tides-of-change-the-access-bay-of-fundy-ecosystem-partnership-conference-4-7-june-2024/