4.2 Planning
- MCA Field Guide: English | Spanish
- MCA Field Guide Checklist
- Phase 4: Implementation Checklist
- 4.1 Administration accounted for
- 4.2 Planning initiated
- 4.3 Outreach planned and begun
- 4.4 Science program established
- 4.5 Enforcement needs assessed and met
- 4.6 Public uses promoted and managed
- 4.7 Livelihoods identified
- 4.8 Habitat management needs realized
- 4.9 Maintenance identified and scheduled
- 4.10 Funding needs assessed and acquired for the long-term
Implementers should carefully plan for the long-term, adaptive management of the lands, resources and ecosystem services that are subject to Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs). Planning can take the form of annual work plans, long-term management plans, and project-specific plans for activities such as research, monitoring and habitat management. Planning activities should be closely linked to or soon followed by Funding activities.
The activities to include and processes to follow for MCA planning are similar to other conservation site or resource management planning efforts. Implementers should ensure that one or more plans address all aspects of implementation, including sub-steps 4.1 through 4.10. Some of these activities may have already been planned for and specified in the terms, conditions or attachments of the MCA as well as associated regulatory permits.
While numerous in-depth guides are available for conservation project planning, three guides that may be helpful to implementers of MCAs are identified below:
- IUCN Guidelines for Management Planning of Protected Areas
- Extensive primer on Marine Planning for South Australia
- Australia also provides site-specific marine management planning guidance and examples.
Next Sub-step
Outreach should be undertaken when initiating planning activities, but can also be undertaken for non-planning purposes at the same time or soon afterwards.