GAP analysis

• Author: CETMAR, COGEA, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (European Commission), POSEIDON, Seascape Belgium, Universidade de Vigo
• Pages: 37-46

Study on the Economic Impact of MSP

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 In terms of themes analysed, most pap ers focus on ‘methods’ from a

theoretical point of view, with only a fraction of the papers dealing with

benefits/impacts.

 It follows that this study will be one of the first attempts at quantifying all the

costs and benefits of MSP.

 The fishing sector is mentioned in two thirds of the reviewed papers and

reports. Tourism and the energy sector are mentioned in one third of the

papers an d reports . Aqu aculture and shipp ing are also sectors that are

frequently looked at.

 Generally speaking, plans have typically not brought major economic benefits

to incumbent industries such as comme rcial and recreational fisheries, tourism

and shipping. Rather than being an inherent feature of MS P, this seems to b e a

policy choice made by the planning authorities.

 Coastal communities are frequentl y mentioned among the mai n beneficiaries of

MSP, due to increased living standards, enviro nmental improvements, tourism

development, etc.

 In terms of methods, most authors u sed ‘willingness to pay’, mainly t o assign a

monetary value to envi ronmental benefits and ecosystem services. Input-

Output analysis is the second most frequent method used.

 Most evidence of the economic benefits of MSP is qu alitative rather than

quantitative. This rei nforces the case for a stud y that carries out a quantitati ve

assessment of the benefits (or costs) generated by MSP. Among the most

frequently reported benefits are:

- Reduction of conflicts between sectors and between stakeholders

- Greater clarity and certainty (ultimately leading to an improved

investment climate)

- Reduction of transaction costs (including red tape, permitting and

licencing costs)

- Improvement of information collection and retrieval

 It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to draw general conclusions on the

key success factors for MSP, when it comes to its economic impact. More

realistically, one may establish a cause -effect relationship between a specific

plan in a specific country and the performance of the blue economy in that

country. The success factors can be inferred either by looking at common

features of successful plans – i.e. those whose benefit s outweigh their costs –

or through interviews with stakeholders.

 While many papers mention the consideration of land-sea interaction as an

indicator of good MSP, none ventures to measure the benefits from land-sea

interaction.

3 Gap analysis

3.1 Discussion

The analysis of the l iterature reviewed took stock of the knowl edge available in terms

of evidence of the economic impact linked to MSP. A priori, the findings of the

literature review should be used to identify areas that have not yet been explored or

are under-explored in previous research, applying a sectoral (blue economy sector),

conceptual (benefits, success factors, processes) and methodological approach

(method used for assessing the impact) . However, Task 1 and 2 have highlighted that