Supporting Marine Spatial Planning Under the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme

The Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme is a renewed commitment by the Government of Bermuda, in collaboration with the Waitt Institute and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, to support the sustainable growth of marine activities and resources, referred to as the Blue Economy.

Programme Goals include:

Identify and support stakeholder priorities: This Programme is led by Bermudians for Bermudians. Each step of the process will involve broad stakeholder consultations to ensure the Blue Economy supports all.

Support and develop marine industries: The Programme will include assessments of marine industries, such as tourism, maritime transportation, and commercial and recreational fisheries, to best understand their status and how to address the needs of all marine source users.

Optimize marine activities for economic growth: Guidelines for ocean use will be developed with the goal of optimizing sustainable economic growth across all marine sectors. The Programme will use a process called Marine Spatial Planning, which is similar to land-based zoning and planning processes.

Protect and invest in marine resources:The Government of Bermuda has pledged to fully protect20% of Bermuda’s 465,000 square kilometer exclusive economic zone. The exact locations of those protected areas will be determined through scientific analyses, economic assessments, and public input.