The Israel Marine Spatial Plan highlights the marine space as a distinctly public space and aims for balance and equity in addressing the many interests of stakeholders. The plan aspires to ensure the ongoing provision of ecosystem services over time. This perspective considers the sea to be a public space and it stems from the Public Trust Doctrine, adopted by most developed, democratic states. This Public Trust Doctrine views the state as the “trustee” responsible for a the management of natural resources, such as coasts and seas, that belong to all. The trustee’s mandate is to allocate and oversee their use in order to protect them for the public’s benefit.
One of the foremost objectives of the Israel Marine Plan will most likely be the achievement of balance seeking a synergy between the vast range of uses and interests of various stakeholders in the marine space, on the one hand, and the well-being of the marine environment, on the other.
The methodology that has guided the planning process for the Israel Marine Spatial Plan derives from cumulative global experience in the preparation of regional and national marine spatial plans. It emphasizes best practices for the principles of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and incorporates an approach of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM).
The Israel Marine Spatial Plan aspires to be a policy paper and spatial plan in one. The plan offers a vision, goals, and forward-looking objectives, as well as a strategy and policy tools for management of the marine space. Some of the strategy and policy tools will be general and comprehensive, addressing the entire marine space. Others will distinguish between various marine areas including the third (depth) dimension, according to temporal distinctions and a varied spatial range.