BusinessToday Previous Editions

10 COMMERCIAL e evolution of coastal and marine spatial planning has been a crucial step in making use-management of these ar- eas a reality. In Malta, the discipline is still relatively young, particularly when speaking about the island's marine ter- ritory. Before the introduction of the SPED in 2015, a policy framework that specifically guided development of Mal- ta's coastal and marine areas was miss- ing. e SPED was created as a holistic guide for Malta's socio-economic devel- opment and the protection of its natural surroundings. "We translated our coun- try's objectives for sustainable devel- opment into a spatial vision for Malta's urban, rural, coastal and marine zones, " explains Michelle Borg, head of the PA's Green and Blue Development Unit, which promotes sustainability within Malta's development trajectory. e coast is Malta's most sought-after area with the greatest diversity of uses, including residential, recreational, in- dustrial, infrastructural, touristic and aquacultural. Above all, it is home to the country's richest biodiversity. Back in 2015, however, Malta's coastal zone and marine area was not covered by an adequate planning policy, leading to conflicts because coastal space was be- ing consumed by existing and new types of uses which at times threatened the displacement of others and led to envi- ronmental impacts. "Coastal and marine spatial distinc- tions form the Urban and Rural areas, which are not always clear-cut, and managing their multiple uses is chal- lenging," continues Ms Borg. "Parts of the coast have to accommodate uses that service the Urban Area, particu- larly Malta's strategic infrastructure like energy generation, desalination plants and sewage treatment centres. Other coastal uses such as ports have defined the quality of the spatial context in which they are found. Yet, this shouldn't be to the detriment of natural features, especially in rural coastal areas where agriculture and the open landscape dominate." e protection of recreational activ- ities and biodiversity in Malta's coastal and marine zones is dominant in the SPED. "e plan provides a direction to ensure that coastal and marine develop- ment must be in line with the relevant environmental objectives and shields the public's use of the coast and sea," explains Ms Borg. "e SPED stipulates that swimming zones, dive sites or oth- er coastal recreational areas cannot be displaced. But, it remains a high-level document. e intention was for its ob- jectives to feed into subsidiary plans to guide both the submission of, as well as decisions on development proposals. " e SPED is Malta's first marine spa- tial plan, which is a significant step to- wards supporting sustainable growth in the country's marine environment – or 'blue growth'. e sea is a big driver of the European economy, where new sectors are evolving, and while the SPED was being prepared, the EU was also craft- ing a Directive for the implementation of marine spatial planning. Adopted in 2014, the Maritime Spatial Planning Di- rective urges Member States to organise their use of space at sea to promote blue growth, for both traditional and emerg- ing maritime economic activities. "As the SPED covers a marine area ex- tending up to 25 nautical miles, the PA has been working with other authorities to co-ordinate actions linked to mari- time spatial planning," says Ms Borg. "A spatial plan for the coast and sea is vital," asserts Ms Borg, "because it takes lots of factors into account, including land development, sea ecosystems and the implications of climate change. As an island, we depend on the sea, so it must be given the same level of plan- ning consideration that we provide to the land. "In fact, in supporting blue growth, the SPED identified the marine area as having great potential for renewable energy technology. While as yet we do not have large scale installations ser- vicing our ever increasing energy de- mands, there is still the opportunity to help carve a new niche in research and development in this field, thanks to the marine space. " In her final comments, Ms Borg stresses that effective planning and consolidated action go hand in hand, and sustainability relies on both. "Be- sides supporting social wellbeing and economic growth, strong planning is a tool that protects our natural surround- ings. Our present actions shouldn't im- pede our lives in the future. e ques- tion, though, is how willing are people to overlook personal goals, or pressure from lobbies, and focus a bit more on the common good? Ultimately, this is what the future of Malta's environment, climate, coast and sea hinges on." More information is available at: https://www.pa.org.mt/strategic-plan Coastal and marine sustainability: turning hope into certainty 10.12.2020 Malta's Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED) advocates for the preservation of Malta's coastal and marine zones. Michelle Borg, from Malta's Planning Authority (PA), explains why

• Cover