Coastal Zone Canada 2025 Conference information, including program and abstracts, can be found here
Abstract
Public participation is essential for the successful management of coastal-marine environments. In this context, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as an influential approach to promote sustainable marine governance. By 2023 about 126 countries had embraced MSP in some form, including Canada. However, social science scholars criticize stakeholder engagement in MSP for often being tokenistic, especially of community-level stakeholders. To address this critique, we conducted research to develop a place-based decision-making framework to foster meaningful local stakeholder participation in MSP, using the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy planning area as a case study. Through a mixed-methods approach combining a literature review, expert interviews (local and global), and community focus groups, this study explores three key dimensions: 1) theoretical foundations for reimagining community-oriented MSP, 2) practical elements that facilitate meaningful local engagement, and 3) contextual factors that influence public participation in the study area. The study examines how to integrate the local component into MSP to develop more inclusive processes that reflect the perspectives, interests, and needs of coastal communities. The result is a framework with three key components: 1) stakeholder engagement and community planning principles, 2) locally sensitive practices for effective engagement about who should participate, how, when, and at what level, and 3) context-appropriate factors that shape public participation in the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy planning area, including cultural, institutional, political, and socioeconomic factors. This presentation will demonstrate that application of the framework will strengthen coastal-marine management by offering an evidence-based approach to enhance participation of coastal communities in MSP.
Citation
Martinez Calderon, D., MacDonald, B. H., & Manuel, P. (2025). Local voices, marine choices: Reimagining participation of coastal communities in Marine Spatial Planning. Coastal Zone Canada Conference, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, 9-11 June 2025.
Related Blog Post
Khan, J., Legault, A., MacDonald, B.H., Manuel, P., Margeson, M., Martinez Calderon, D., Webster, A., & Wells, P.G. (2025, July 30). Strengthening Coastal Resilience and Relationships: Reflections on the 2025 Coastal Zone Canada Conference. EIUI Blog. https://eiui.ca/strengthening-coastal-resilience-and-relationships-reflections-on-the-2025-coastal-zone-canada-conference/