The Need and Importance of Angolan Maritime Spatial Planning: Security and the Blue Economy

Resumo

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea represented a milestone in the development of maritime regulation, in addition to establishing a clear legal regime in coastal countries to be complied with, both at sea and in its overlying airspace, on the sea floor and subsoil. This work aims to articulate the models of development and implementation of the Maritime Space (MSP) in the countries influenced by the Benguela Current (BCC), thus contributing to the implementation of the MSP process in Angola, based on the case study -Palmeirinhas-Mouth of the Tapado River. In order to fulfill the objectives of this study, it was decided to carry out research of a demonstrative nature, with a qualitative aspect that focused on exploratory analysis, including the interaction of variables to understand the nature and characteristics of the phenomena, using a set of tasks for data collection in the pilot area under study. As a result, the alignment in the identification and analysis of policies, strategies for the sea and blue growth in the countries of the Benguela Current namely South Africa, Namibia and Angola and also in the identification of the institutional and legal framework for MSP. Countries see MSP as an opportunity to improve the national and regional quality of ocean governance by promoting cooperation between sectors, stakeholders and government authorities. In this context, maritime spatial planning emerges as an essential tool to manage development and use in order to achieve the desired results. In this way, it will be possible to attenuate the maritime space in the most sustainable and integrated way. The BCC countries, and the BCLME as a whole, are among the first African countries and among the first developing countries and LMEs worldwide to introduce OEM.