A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

Site Planning and
Management
Marine protected areas (MPAs) require a specific planning process, which is
best done prior to the management phase, whether they are discrete sites or
sites within a larger management framework. The product of site planning is a Site
Management Plan.
It is important to differentiate between planning and management. Planning
provides the basis for decisions on how resources are to be allocated and protected,
for example, through the analysis and selection processes (covered in the next section),
and through the design or zoning and management programmes discussed below.
Management addresses the strategies and operations needed to attain the objectives
of the management plan.
Site planning should look at past progress, the current issues, and future needs
to identify priority actions from the full range of possible management interventions.
2.1 The Site Management Plan
The Management Plan for a particular site is a working document that is updated
periodically. Because its arrangement and complexity must be tailored to the needs
of the site, generic models may be suggestive but not prescriptive. Each site needs
its own customized plan.
There are many practical considerations in designing MPAs that are to be
addressed during the planning phase: location of MPA facilities; types of boats and
motors for surveillance and transport; boundary demarcations; zoning of activities
to separate incompatible uses where necessary; recruiting and training of staff; the