Oceans governance and marine spatial planning in Australia Autor Vince J Título de serie Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs | Vol 6 (1) Fecha 2014 Fuente IUCN (ID: ANA-091051) Editor | Lugar de publicación Taylor & Francis Group Ltd | Abingdon, U.K. ISSN 1836-6503 Tipo de documento Artículo en publicación Idioma Inglés País/Territorio Australia Materia Mar Palabra clave Área marina Manejo de recursos marinos Política/planificación Gobernanza Cambio climático Resumen Australian ocean governance faces the challenge of sustaining a balance between marine resource use and conservation while dealing with pressing threats resulting from climate change such as sea level rise, fisheries food security, IUU fishing and ocean acidification. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a way forward for dealing with these challenges in oceans governance. This paper examines a recent Commonwealth MSP initiative in Australia: Marine Bioregional Plans (MBPs) that are based on large marine ecosystems and provide the framework for the establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. Four MSP conditions are introduced: use of ecosystem-based approaches; spatial orientation; integration; and a multilevel policy framework. By analysing MBPs utilising these conditions, this paper outlines the challenges and accomplishments of this MSP process.