A spatial prioritisation exercise for marine spatial planning implementation within MPA MT105 of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Anthropogenic maritime drivers exert pressures on ecological components, including assemblages of high conservation importance as Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and maerl beds. These drivers also influence and interact with each other and can generate user-to-user conflicts, which traditionally have justified the need for a holistic Marine Spatial Planning approach. Through the use of the Driver Pressure State Impact Risk (DPSIR) framework and related decision-support tools, we generated both cumulative marine habitat vulnerability maps and cumulative marine user-user conflicts maps within MPA MT105 of the Maltese Islands. These maps are intended to serve as decision - support tools for national policy- makers given that Malta is required to deliver its management plans for some of its marine Natura 2000 sites by the end of 2019.