New roadmap launched to help future-proof ocean management in UK Overseas Territories against climate change

Turks and Caicos Islands. Romello-Williams | Unsplash

Today, the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) publishes its latest policy guidance on climate change adaptation: ‘A roadmap towards climate-smart marine spatial planning in the UK Overseas Territories’.

The Roadmap was led by scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, in partnership with colleagues from MCCIP, and outlines how the four key ‘enablers’ of climate evidence, governance, resources and communication could support the development of effective climate-smart marine spatial planning (CSMSP) in the territories.

UKOTs are home to some of the world’s most biodiverse and economically vital marine environments, yet they are facing growing challenges from climate change, including warmer seas, rising sea levels, stronger storms and ocean acidification, which all threaten local communities, economies and marine ecosystems, as outlined in the first MCCIP-UKOTs project.

“Climate change is having significant impacts on UKOTs and is projected to do so well into the future,” said Prof. John Cortes MBE, Minister for Education, the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change, Heritage, Technical Services and Transport, HM Government of Gibraltar and Chair of the UKOTs Environment Ministers’ Council.

CSMSP is gaining increasing attention to help protect both people and nature by planning and managing marine areas so they are resilient to climate change, whilst also supporting sustainable development.

The Roadmap document outlines a nine-step cycle for developing and implementing climate-smart marine plans. Examples from the UKOTs and other regions of the world are used to illustrate how these steps could be applied in practice in the UKOTs. It also provides an action plan to help the UKOTs design and deliver marine spatial plans that are resilient, inclusive and climate-aware.

“This Roadmap is an ideal resource to support long-term planning for the marine environment so UKOTs can both adapt and maximise opportunities to create resilience,” added Prof. John Cortes MBE.

Professor Ana Queirós, lead author of the Roadmap, Climate Change Lead at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and an internationally-recognised expert in climate-resilient ocean spatial management, said:

“We are deeply grateful to the government agencies of the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), especially those in Turks and Caicos islands and Anguilla, who joined this initiative and made themselves available to work with us at PML and MCCIP, to co-develop this roadmap as starting point for a future pathway for climate-smart Marine Spatial Planning in their territories.”

“The UKOTs are an exceptionally diverse group of areas, naturally, culturally and geographically and governance-wise. Much like elsewhere in the world, however, climate change is already impacting the UKOTs, threatening the conservation and sustainable use of marine species and habitats, as well as economic activity and cultural heritage associated with them. Some of the UKOTs are located in regions of the world which are experiencing the sharpest climate change impacts, creating a need for immediate action to promote ecological, economic and social resilience to climate change.”

“Climate-smart Marine Spatial Planning, as a framework that cuts across all of the policy and governance structure of the marine environment, embedding climate change considerations and evidence, is therefore a key mechanism that could benefit climate-resilience in the UKOTs. We were grateful for the opportunity to work with this team and project, and hope it helps create the capability the UKOTs need in order to help prepare their response to climate change.”

Professor Matt Frost, Roadmap author, Chair of MCCIP and its Overseas Work Group, and Head of PML’s International Office, continued:

“It’s always a pleasure working with the UKOTs and what makes this Roadmap genuinely useful is that it was co-designed with the territories, not just for them. This kind of collaborative approach, bringing together local knowledge, policy and science, is exactly what is needed if we are to see effective climate adaptation successfully implemented. The decisions made about ocean management now will shape these marine environments and support people, economies and livelihoods to the benefit of current and future generations.”

Next the team aim to build on this work and expand the approach to other areas, such as in the Caribbean and South America, and continue to promote ocean management that is resilient, forward-looking and aligned with international commitments, including global biodiversity and climate agreements.

Other valued contributors to the Roadmap include the MCCIP Overseas Working Group, representing the UK Overseas Territories Association, UK Department of Food and Rural Affairs,  Marine Management Organisation, UK Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Blue Belt program.