Jonathan Potts

Ocean citizenship: an emergent geographical concept

Ocean citizenship describes a relationship between our everyday lives and the health of the coastal and marine environment. Through our everyday lives we affect, and are affected by, the marine and coastal environment in numerous ways. As such, individuals have a responsibility to make informed lifestyle choices to minimize this impact. In doing so, the actions of individuals can contribute to the amelioration of large-scale and seemingly insurmountable geographical problems. This article outlines the concept of ocean citizenship within the context of the public understanding of marine environmental issues. The article draws heavily on the experience of the National Maritime Museum as an important contributor to the development of ocean citizenship in the United Kingdom. Specifically, the Planet Ocean initiative will be examined, in which the Museum has adopted a multimodal approach to public engagement through exhibitions, educational resources, and specific research publications. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of geography in the development and sustainability of ocean citizenship.

Who, when, and how? Marine planning stakeholder involvement preferences – A case study of the Solent, United Kingdom

The introduction of a marine planning system throughout English territorial waters over the next decade provides an opportunity for stakeholder input to the management of the marine environment. Stakeholder involvement has been identified as an important component of successful development and subsequent implementation of marine planning but it has to be recognised that the views and interest of stakeholders can vary greatly, thus the desire for involvement with the process is unlikely to be uniform. This paper presents the views of stakeholders within the Solent, United Kingdom on their potential involvement with the marine planning process. Interestingly, it highlights a strong variability of views within and across sectors. Assuming the situation in the Solent is typical of groups of stakeholders throughout the country, the lack of uniformity in the potential involvement from different stakeholders may present a challenge in achieving a representative and truly collaborative marine planning process.