Key strategies of development of research tools and methods for marine spatial planning

Marine spatial planning has been widely applied in the leading maritime countries. However, it is not so common in Russia, since the relevant legal framework is largely absent. Spatial planning shares a number of features with marine planning, especially when it comes to the tools, principles, and methods. The differences mainly concern characteristics of the planning object; principles of delineating the borders of territories and water areas; and the authorities responsible for regulation. The use of marine space, its parts, and sea (water) is covered by a number of laws of the Russian Federation. However, a mechanism for marine planning has yet to be integrated into Russian legislation. The Strategy for the Development of Maritime Activities until 2030 sets the task of developing such mechanism. In this article we address key strategies that can be used in the development of marine planning tools: assessment of applicability of the existing legal framework to water relations; territorial development and strategic planning; and possible distribution of authority between different governing bodies in this new field of administrative activity

Model structure and content of a comprehensive maritime plan: the case of Kaliningrad

The need for maritime spatial planning is articulated in the Strategy for Marine Development of the Russian Federation until 2030. However, Russian legislation contains no provisions regulating this field. This article presents the results of a study aimed to devise a methodology for developing the model structure of a maritime plan for the Baltic Sea. The study methodology is based on current regulations on marine use and na-ture management as well as international maritime planning practices. Since marine planning is closely connected with spatial planning, the study pays special attention to their convergence in developing maritime plans. The authors stress the need for legislative efforts aimed at integrating marine planning in the current legal framework for the regional authorities of different territorial levels. The structure and contents of the maritime plan and the methodological framework for suggested measures are based on relevant regulations, publications, and maps. The main result of the study is the identification of functional offshore areas of federal, regional, and local significance. The research significance of this study is associated with the further development of strategic planning, namely, marine planning. Its practical significance is in devising the legal and methodological framework for marine spatial planning