Renewables, shipping, and protected species: A vanishing opportunity for effective marine spatial planning?

Abstract

Anthropogenic noise is a by-product from human activity that impacts protected species and is increasingly being considered in environmental management decisions. Offshore energy development presents a navigational hazard to existing shipping, making the locations of these two sources of noise mutually exclusive. This fact means that licensing decisions are stepping into the realm of coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP). To be effective, conservation measures must also be considered in the CMSP process to mitigate potential cumulative adverse effects associated with resource development, particularly with multiuse confl icts. Thus managers should consider shipping lane relocation to make environmentally optimal decisions.