Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar
Abstract Marine spatial planning (MSP) is one of the most important tools for ensuring sustainable use of marine areas. Although MSP is a well‐established method, its adoption in rapidly developing countries is a challenge. One of the main concerns is data adequacy, as the MSP process typically requ...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Conservation Science and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13284 |
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| author | Elina A. Virtanen Niina Käyhkö Zakaria Khamis Muhammad Juma Muhammad Hashim Muumin Mohammed Habib Ville Karvinen Juho Lappalainen Meri Koskelainen Niko Kulha Markku Viitasalo |
| author_facet | Elina A. Virtanen Niina Käyhkö Zakaria Khamis Muhammad Juma Muhammad Hashim Muumin Mohammed Habib Ville Karvinen Juho Lappalainen Meri Koskelainen Niko Kulha Markku Viitasalo |
| author_sort | Elina A. Virtanen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Marine spatial planning (MSP) is one of the most important tools for ensuring sustainable use of marine areas. Although MSP is a well‐established method, its adoption in rapidly developing countries is a challenge. One of the main concerns is data adequacy, as the MSP process typically requires a large amount of spatial data on human activities, biodiversity, and socio‐ecological interactions within the planning area. Drawing from an institutional cooperation project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, we share our experience and demonstrate how to fill in socio‐ecological data gaps to support the development of MSP in areas with limited data availability. We developed a rapid and cost‐effective system for collecting biological data, which, together with remote sensing and place‐based participatory mapping, helped formulate the first pilot ecologically informed MSP for Zanzibar. By sharing our results and experiences, we aim to provide best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for future projects with a similar ecological setting and socio‐economic context. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-36048ae6e8404fdb8c5e040135f53fe9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2578-4854 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Science and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-36048ae6e8404fdb8c5e040135f53fe92025-01-12T03:57:29ZengWileyConservation Science and Practice2578-48542025-01-0171n/an/a10.1111/csp2.13284Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from ZanzibarElina A. Virtanen0Niina Käyhkö1Zakaria Khamis2Muhammad Juma Muhammad3Hashim Muumin4Mohammed Habib5Ville Karvinen6Juho Lappalainen7Meri Koskelainen8Niko Kulha9Markku Viitasalo10Finnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandDepartment of Geography and Geology, Geography Division University of Turku Turku FinlandDepartment of Geography and Geology, Geography Division University of Turku Turku FinlandGovernment of Zanzibar, Commission of Lands Department of Urban and Rural Planning Zanzibar TanzaniaDepartment of Fisheries and Marine Resources Zanzibar TanzaniaGovernment of Zanzibar, Commission of Lands Department of Urban and Rural Planning Zanzibar TanzaniaFinnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandFinnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandFinnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandFinnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandFinnish Environment Institute Helsinki FinlandAbstract Marine spatial planning (MSP) is one of the most important tools for ensuring sustainable use of marine areas. Although MSP is a well‐established method, its adoption in rapidly developing countries is a challenge. One of the main concerns is data adequacy, as the MSP process typically requires a large amount of spatial data on human activities, biodiversity, and socio‐ecological interactions within the planning area. Drawing from an institutional cooperation project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, we share our experience and demonstrate how to fill in socio‐ecological data gaps to support the development of MSP in areas with limited data availability. We developed a rapid and cost‐effective system for collecting biological data, which, together with remote sensing and place‐based participatory mapping, helped formulate the first pilot ecologically informed MSP for Zanzibar. By sharing our results and experiences, we aim to provide best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for future projects with a similar ecological setting and socio‐economic context.https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13284community mappingmarine conservationmarine spatial planningPGISpublic engagementremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Elina A. Virtanen Niina Käyhkö Zakaria Khamis Muhammad Juma Muhammad Hashim Muumin Mohammed Habib Ville Karvinen Juho Lappalainen Meri Koskelainen Niko Kulha Markku Viitasalo Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar Conservation Science and Practice community mapping marine conservation marine spatial planning PGIS public engagement remote sensing |
| title | Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar |
| title_full | Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar |
| title_fullStr | Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar |
| title_short | Filling in socio‐ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data‐scarce areas: Example from Zanzibar |
| title_sort | filling in socio ecological knowledge gaps to support marine spatial planning in data scarce areas example from zanzibar |
| topic | community mapping marine conservation marine spatial planning PGIS public engagement remote sensing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13284 |
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