Fourteen Pacific countries compare marine spatial planning progress at Nadi workshop

The Pacific Community (SPC) convened a regional peer-learning workshop on marine spatial planning (MSP) in Nadi, Fiji, from 2 to 6 November 2026, with participants from 14 Pacific countries. It followed a co-design process begun at the 2025 Pacific Islands Ocean Conference, then surveys, training needs assessments and mapping exercises on each country's progress.

Countries described different starting points, from established marine protected areas to fisheries management plans and coastal zoning. Common obstacles were governance and coordination, limited technical capacity, data gaps, stakeholder engagement and keeping political support over time. Participants also stressed building national data systems and sharing information regionally.

The week includes country-led sessions, scenario exercises, technical clinics and discussion of data and spatial information. Funding comes from the MSP for a Blue Pacific Economy (US Department of State) and the CaB-SMART MSP Programme (New Zealand MFAT).

Why it matters: Data gaps and thin technical capacity are named as core barriers to marine spatial planning, which points to demand for national spatial data systems and skills. Other developing coastal and island states building ocean plans face similar constraints.