Pilot Study in the Bay of Palma, Mallorca, Balearic Islands

The Marine and Coastal Spatial Planning Pilot Study in the Bay of Palma (MCSP Bay of Palma) is a technical exercise intended to support the Integrated Coastal and Marine Management (ICMM) process in the Islands. The primary objective of the study is to develop a series of spatial analysis tools to support decision-making related to sustainable development, using the Bay of Palma as a focal area.

The pilot study is being developed incrementally through a series of spatial assessments that explore important dimensions of the Bay related to the ICMM process. These issues and information needs respond specifically to priorities established by society and decision-makers in the Balearic Islands.  Although the studies focus on the Bay of Palma, the methodological processes used are applicable to other coastal and marine zones in the Balearic Islands and internationally.

The first step of the Pilot Study has been to conduct a general spatial characterization of the coastal and marine zone, which also serves as a proposal for determining the spatial boundaries and scale of the management area. As a second step, a study is being conducted to classify the coastline with respect to environmental sensitivity, specifically, with respect to potential oil spills (see the map viewer http://www.socib.es/?seccion=siasDivision&facility=sacosta).