New Guidelines Aim to Safeguard Small Cetaceans Through Smarter Ocean Planning

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), also known as Marine Spatial Planning, is an integrative policy instrument concerned with the coordination and management of human activities at sea, with the aim of facilitating the sustainable development of ocean resources and the protection of the marine environment (EU MSP Directive 2014, IOC & EC 2021). MSP should include measures to ensure a Favourable Conservation Status for cetaceans is maintained or achieved. 

Being of high relevance to small cetaceans, the first ASCOBANS resolution on MSP was adopted at the 10th Meeting of Parties (MOP), held in September 2024. Along with the resolution, the MOP adopted the Guidelines for Cetacean-sensitive Maritime Spatial Planning for the ASCOBANS Area and requested Parties to implement these when reviewing and/or updating their national MSP. 

The Guidelines emphasize the integration of cetacean conservation and restoration into MSP, including the provision of an ecologically coherent network of MPAs encompassing critical sites for vulnerable cetacean populations. They also stress the importance of robust strategic environmental assessments, information sharing and transboundary cooperation, recognizing that cetacean populations and pressures extend across national boundaries. 

In addition, the Guidelines promote an ecosystem-based precautionary approach to MSP, highlighting the need to consider cumulative impacts from multiple activities and applying the best available scientific knowledge. Key threats to cetaceans across the ASCOBANS range include various pressures associated with offshore wind, underwater noise, bycatch, habitat degradation and shipping. 

MOP10 also included in the ASCOBANS Work Plan a task to review best practice approaches to management of cumulative impacts and ecosystem-based approach for small cetaceans and their habitats, such as marine spatial planning. It is important to understand how multiple threats interact and cumulatively affect cetacean behaviour and population dynamics, which may be achieved through the use of mechanistic stimulation models. 

In their national reports concerning 2024 data, Parties reported on MSPs. The reports are to be presented at the upcoming 29th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC29), held from 16-18 September 2025. While MSPs vary across countries in terms of implementation periods and geographic focus, all Parties reported that they have Marine Spatial Planning in place and two mentioned that they are planning on increasing these.