Abstract
Marine spatial planning (MSP), which involves the allocation of marine space over time, serves as one policy mechanism to integrate marine renewable energy into coastal landscapes. The process is inherently public and relies on stakeholder engagement as a key component to advance ecological, social, and economic goals. However, current stakeholder engagement in MSP is often ineffective at engaging all groups with a vested interest in the marine environment due to the scope of marine spatial planning, top-down decision making, and assumptions about public understanding of MSP. The limited reach of engagement in MSP processes can result in inequalities in the use of and access to marine space that favor those with existing political or economic power.
In response, strategies like the MSP Challenge Board Game offer an opportunity to connect with diverse stakeholder groups in constructing their understanding of marine spatial planning, thereby reducing barriers to participation in policy processes. The MSP Challenge Board Game presents a fictional seascape based on observational data from the North Sea, allowing teams to collaboratively develop marine spatial plans. While widely used across Europe and gaining popularity elsewhere as a precursor to marine spatial planning, there is currently no documentation of its application in the United States.
Our research aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on marine renewable energy stakeholder engagement within marine spatial planning. We propose to explore the role of the MSP Challenge Board Game as a tool for engaging marine renewable energy stakeholders in a series of workshops in the context of the Atlantic Marine Energy Center. Through this proposed research, we endeavor to understand the impact of games as a strategic approach in stakeholder engagement at the nexus of marine renewable energy and MSP. We will summarize existing research on the MSP Challenge Board Game as an engagement strategy, outline the objectives for engaging marine energy stakeholders along the Atlantic coast in thinking about MSP, and propose a survey-based methodology to evaluate learning outcomes. Our primary goal of presenting this proposed research is to inform UMERC participants about our workshop plans involving the MSP Challenge Board Game and to solicit recommendations for organizations to connect with along the Atlantic coast to develop a comprehensive invitation list.