Stakeholder involvement in Marine Spatial Planning

The importance of stakeholder involvement in marine spatial planning was assessed in a Maltese Marine Protected Area (MPA) through a questionnaire survey of six main stakeholder groups, namely governmental authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), bus and boat trip operators, dive centres and small business owners. The questionnaires revealed the different views of the stakeholder groups based on their interest in the Dwejra MPA, conflicts among users, environmental concerns, and also helped identification of potential management measures. Interests differed among stakeholders, but response rates were highest for questions related to economic and environmental concerns. Two additional existing data sets, one on marine habitat distribution and one on fishing activities in the MPA were included in a spatial analysis of conflicts identified through the questionnaire. A major conflict exists between stakeholders engaged in fishing and diving activities, due to overlap of activity ranges in the relatively small MPA. The number of ongoing activities was highest during the months April to October, which results from the high influx of tourists during the summer months, favourable weather conditions, and the fact that fishers are more active during this period. Environmental NGOs considered the number of tourists visiting the MPA to be too high, and a similar perception was expressed by most stakeholders with regards to the number of divers. Fifteen management measures which may be used to improve regulation of human activities in the area were identified, including the introduction of a visitor fee. This suggestion was favoured by NGOs, government authorities, and most dive centres interviewed, but opposed by bus and boat trip operators, as well as by small business owners. A zonation plan was considered beneficial by most interviewees, with the results of the statistical analyses indicating no significant difference among the responses given by the different stakeholder groups. A comparison between a zonation scheme developed by the Maltese national government, the San Lawrence local council, and the NGO Nature Trust in 2005, and a second draft scheme prepared by the Professional Diving Schools Association, which was presented during the stakeholder interviews carried out as part of the present study in 2014, showed partial overlap of conservation measures. However, the 2005 zonation plan is more comprehensive since it takes into account available data on benthic habitats and includes measures to protect sensitive habitats and species.