Is maritime spatial planning a necessity

The world's enormous, vital and diverse ocean areas remain a nearly untapped reserve of genetic resources for humankind, in demand as playgrounds for pleasure seekers and nature lovers, as highways for international commerce, and as homes for unique communities of wildlife and people. Among these, the Bay of Bengal is one of the least explored marine areas of the world. Formerly, this fact could be explained by the existence of unsettled delimitation disputes amongst its littoral States (Bangladesh, India and Myanmar), but since the 2012 International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea decision on the maritime boundaries disputes between Bangladesh and Myanmar, the immediate use of the Bay of Bengal's maritime space and its resources has accelerated in order to meet the existing high demand for power and energy in those States. It has become necessary to explore the coastal and offshore spaces and resources of the Bay. In meeting this necessity, however, the littoral States must manage their activities in such a way that the ecosystem and environment of the coastal and offshore space will not be affected and that the integrated and sustainable use of those coastal and offshore resources will be ensured. Maritime spatial planning (MSP) is a process that focuses on ensuring this sustainability.