Pioneering Marine Spatial Planning in Morocco : An Opportunity to Articulate Conservation and Development

The Kingdom of Morocco is endowed with a wealth of marine resources, characterized by high biodiversity with at least 600 identified fish species. In total, Morocco's coastal areas contribute 59 percent of the country's GDP and provide 52 percent of jobs. There is an even greater untapped potential in existing and emerging blue sectors such as aquaculture, seaweed farming, and marine renewable energy. Morocco can develop coastal clusters that attract investment and create jobs while ensuring sustainability. The Government of Morocco launched its Blue Economy Program to improve job creation and economic growth, as well as the sustainability and resilience of natural resources and food security. The program aims to develop Morocco's institutional frameworks, improve integrated natural resource management, and strengthen selected sectors in targeted areas for a climate-resilient Blue Economy. The World Bank defines the Blue Economy as the sustainable and integrated development of economic sectors in a healthy ocean. To support the Government of Morocco in implementing its program, the World Bank has approved a US350 million dollars loan through its Blue Economy Program for Results (Blue Economy PforR). As part of Morocco's Blue Economy Program, and with the dual objective of nature conservation and support for artisanal fisheries, the DPM requested technical assistance (TA) from the World Bank on the use of marine spatial planning (MSP) tools for the conservation of fishery resources, with the aim of creating marine protected areas for fisheries management (MPA-Fs) that are based on the best international planning practices