PALIKIR, Pohnpei—Recently, the Honorable Elina Akinaga, Secretary of the Department of Resources & Development, and the Blue Prosperity Micronesia team and partners, visited the State of Kosrae to hold consultations on the Marine Spatial Planning bill presently with the 22nd Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) for their consideration.
The proposed legislation—C.B. 22-246—seeks to provide the legal framework necessary to enable the FSM to have a process in place that would allow for Marine Spatial Planning, a purpose-agnostic and public process of analyzing, and allocating, the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas so as to achieve economic, ecological, and social objectives. Whether one is invested in ensuring that their conservation efforts and environmental protection initiatives have the most impact, or whether one wishes to exploit marine resources to their fullest extent for the benefit of the People, Marine Spatial Planning is the conduit for informed decision-making.
The public consultations in Kosrae brought together a cross-section of Government leadership, Community leadership, and members of Civil Society Organizations to discuss Marine Spatial Planning, as well as Blue Prosperity Micronesia’s programming, such as its emphasis on the Blue Economy and Sustainable Fisheries. Secretary Akinaga was accompanied by the Honorable Mitaro Simina, Senator in the Pohnpei State Legislature, the latter whom, along with the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures (APIL), recently endorsed the FSM Government’s intentions to enable Marine Spatial Planning for the benefit of the Nation and its citizenry.
As a result of the public consultations, the Executive and Legislative branches of the Kosrae State Government committed their support to C.B. 22-246 and Blue Prosperity Micronesia as a whole.
Blue Prosperity Micronesia’s work includes the development of a Marine Spatial Plan and a Blue Economy Plan, as well as conducting scientific assessments, and relevant proposed legislation for the FSM Congress’ endorsement.
