Cabinet has approved the draft Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Bill, which seeks to provide a legal framework for the development of a marine spatial planning system that promotes economic growth, for submission to Parliament this year.
Marine spatial planning will ensure that sustainable economic growth is achieved while the marine environment is protected, as currently there are numerous uncoordinated, overlapping activities and an increased use of ocean resources, which negatively impact on the sustainability and benefits of ocean goods and services to the South African economy.
The sectoral approach to marine regulation has largely evolved in a policy vacuum.
The MSP Bill will be used as a governance and planning tool that will advance integration of the processes involved in allocating human activities, both in terms of spatial and temporal distribution, in the ocean space.
It will also improve decision-making, the Department of Environmental Affairs said in a statement issued on Tuesday.