Frontiers of Maritime Spatial Planning and Management

Dear Colleagues,

The sea is the scene for a wide range of activities, from natural processes to human activities, such as oil exploration, offshore wind farms, shipping, fishery, aquaculture, and recreation. Some sea areas experience a strong competition between various maritime activities which can lead to conflicts but also hold much potential for synergies. In addition, it is well known that human activities have an adverse impact on marine ecosystems, with climate change as a reinforcing factor. Maritime spatial planning is seen as an approach to solve these challenges by applying informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources in a sustainable way.

Maritime spatial planning is an interdisciplinary process combining natural, social, and technical sciences. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present and discuss recent advances within sustainable management and planning of the seas and oceans. It covers topics such as ecosystem-based approaches, cumulative impact assessment, co-location of maritime activities, transnational cooperation, maritime cultural heritage, sea use management, engagement of stakeholders, marine cadaster, and marine spatial infrastructure. Authors are invited to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as research results, applications and experiences on maritime spatial planning. Papers selected for this Special Issue are subject to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Henning Sten Hansen
Prof. Dr. Lise Schrøder
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.