4.2: Oceans & Coasts
Comprehensive ocean and coastal planning and management Other Information:
The Nation's coastal zones have become busy places, with people living and recreating alongside a diverse and growing array
of industries, such as commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture, oil and natural gas production, and the production
of renewable energy. While an increasing range of uses will allow coastal communities to create diverse economies, care must
be taken to ensure continued access to coastal areas, sustained ecosystems, maintained cultural heritage, and limited cumulative
impacts. A coastal and marine spatial planning framework is a comprehensive management approach that is designed to support
sustainable uses and ensure healthy and resilient ocean and coastal ecosystems. Combined with its capacity to collaborate
with State, territory, and Federal partners, NOAA's expertise in ocean and coastal management and planning is needed to provide
leadership and support for the development of regional and place-based spatial plans, as well as the data streams, research,
and tools necessary for implementation. In some areas, NOAA and its partners collaboratively protect and manage critical coastal
and ocean ecosystems. To achieve this objective, NOAA will promote sustainable resource use and stewardship by continuing
to implement key NOAA mandates, including the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, MSA, and the
National Sea Grant College Program Act, Coral Reef Conservation Act, and further its programmatic efforts to support coastal
and marine spatial planning and management. Through these efforts, NOAA will balance the use of coastal and ocean resources
with long-term planning and management of coastal and other unique marine conservation areas. NOAA will support institutional
infrastructure needed to coordinate and facilitate the planning process, engage stakeholders, execute management actions,
and enhance geospatial data and visualization tools. NOAA will require and sustain resource monitoring networks that are capable
of integrating across spatial and temporal scales to determine the effectiveness of local management actions, and develop
and disseminate models, tools, and best practices for long-term planning and management. NOAA will conduct social and economic
studies needed to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of management decisions. Over the next five years, evidence of progress
toward this objective will include: * National, regional, and local stakeholders engaged in the coastal and marine spatial
planning process; * Coastal and Great Lakes managers use of new or enhanced models, data, tools, and best practices for informed
spatial planning, management and stewardship of resources and ecosystems; * Key coastal, marine, and Great Lakes areas acquired
or designated for long-term conservation and managed to maintain critical ecosystem function and support coastal economies;
* Predictable and transparent regulatory mechanisms for ocean and coastal energy, and other sectors; and * An enhanced geospatial
framework and data available to underpin decision-support tools.
Indicator(s):
|
