FIO Organizes the Online Seminar Themed "Sharing National Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Practices Worldwide: China"

On March 17, 2021, the seminar themed "Sharing National Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Practices Worldwide: China" was held online. It was hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO) and the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and jointly organized by the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources (FIO, MNR) and the China Oceanic Development Foundation. A total of 126 representatives from more than 40 countries and international organizations attended the seminar. The seminar aimed to advance the implementation of the Joint Roadmap to Accelerate Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning Worldwide released by the United Nations and provide a platform for the sharing of national MSP experience. 

At the seminar, Chen Danhong, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of MNR, delivered a speech. Chen said that marine functional zoning (MFZ), as the basis and main body of China's MSP, has made a major contribution to national sea area use management, marine ecological environment protection, and marine economic development in the past three decades. In recent years, the Chinese government has made great efforts to push forward ecological civilization construction, practice the concept of "maritime community with a shared future", and actively have exchanges and cooperation with other coastal countries, establishing a new model of international cooperation in MSP. In the future, China will continue to work closely with such international organs as IOC, as well as relevant countries, to jointly establish and improve MSP-linked techniques, methods, and systems, vigorously accelerate work related to the MSP Global 2030, and facilitate the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Pan Xinchun, secretary-general of the China Oceanic Development Foundation, Zhang Zhiwei, senior engineer of the FIO, MNR, and Yang Xiao, associate research fellow of the National Marine Data and Information Service made speeches on the practices and experience of sea use management in China, the practices and experience of MSP of China, and the ecosystem-based coastal belt protection planning, respectively, and had in-depth discussions with other attendees.

 Alejandro, head of MSP at IOC, made a summary of the seminar, in which he emphasized the importance and urgency of MSP as a tool for marine management. Alejandro said that China has rich experience in the field of MSP and China's current territorial spatial planning system is of great help to the formulation of international MSP guidelines. Thus, the IOC will further cooperate with the MNR of China and the FIO under it, in an effort to speed up the implementation of the MSP Global 2030. 

As China is an important member of the IOC, the MNR has organized relevant domestic authorities to take an active part in the work of the IOC, and the FIO has been deeply involved in the planning and implementation of the MSP Global 2030. This seminar has effectively popularized China's achievements and experience in the field of MSP and demonstrated China's great efforts to strengthen global marine governance and accelerate sustainable marine development.