Stakeholder Participation in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

Beginning in July 2009, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, in collaboration with Duke’s Center for Marine Conservation and the Meridian Institute, convened a series of meetings to discuss coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP) with a variety of ocean stakeholders. Four of the meetings included only representatives from ocean industries, two included only environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs), and the final two meetings included stakeholders from all constituencies. The purpose of the meetings was to share perspectives, discover areas of agreement, and identify potential conflicts; no attempt was made to reach consensus among the participants. To supplement discussions at the meetings, the Nicholas Institute also conducted in-depth phone interviews and administered a web-based survey for the meetings’ participants.