A Snapshot of the Barriers Related to Tourism-Underwater Cultural Heritage-Environmental Protection in MSP. A Stakeholders’ Perspective

Abstract

In the context of maritime spatial planning (MSP), in order to achieve the sustainable development goals, an approach to the concept of multiple use (MU) is needed as a tool for the efficient management of the multiple activities which take place in the maritime space. The concept of multiple use (MU) is the intentional common approach / analysis of certain maritime activities and marine resources which are in close geographic proximity. In this context, the combination of maritime activities or uses, through joint operations or approaches, helps reduce spatial pressures on the sea and may create new opportunities for socio-economic development and for the protection of the marine environment. The aim of this paper is to analyze the perception of the stakeholders on identifying legislative and administrative barriers which adversely affect the implementation of the combination Tourism-Underwater Cultural Heritage-Environmental Protection in the Romanian coastal area, the Constanța-2 Mai sector, in the context of maritime spatial planning. The empirical analysis in this paper took into consideration the statistical description of the factors in the DABI catalogue (Drivers-Added values-Barriers-Impacts), selecting the Barriers category of factors and is based on data collected from stakeholders interested in maritime spatial planning, grouped into two categories: "local public entities" and "educational and research entities". As a result of the performed analysis, several recommendations were made in order to overcome the legislative and administrative barriers identified by the stakeholders. The obstacles identified by the local public entities and the educational and research entities in the Black Sea area may hinder the sustainable development of the area and need to be brought to the attention of the authorities and decision makers. The knowledge of these barriers for the optimal combination of various marine activities must be incorporated into the spatial decision support tools used in MSP.