Key Strategies of Development of Research Tools and Methods for Marine Spatial Planning

Marine spatial planning has been widely applied in the leading maritime countries. However, it is not so common in Russia, since the relevant legal framework is largely absent. Spatial planning shares a number of features with marine planning, especially when it comes to the tools, principles, and methods. The differences mainly concern characteristics of the planning object; principles of delineating the borders of territories and water areas; and the authorities responsible for regulation. The use of marine space, its parts, and sea (water) is covered by a number of laws of the Russian Federation. However, a mechanism for marine planning has yet to be integrated into Russian legislation. The Strategy for the Development of Maritime Activities until 2030 sets the task of developing such mechanism. In this article we address key strategies that can be used in the development of marine planning tools: assessment of applicability of the existing legal framework to water relations; territorial development and strategic planning; and possible distribution of authority between different governing bodies in this new field of administrative activity.