Marine spatial planning in the Pacific Islands - a transformative approach to ocean governance?

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is gaining prominence as an ocean governance tool in the Pacific Islands, yet its application and transformative potential remain under-examined. Drawing on participant observations and interviews with Pacific actors, this study critically assesses whether MSP is fit for purpose in advancing transformative ocean governance in the Pacific Islands. An integrative framework linking collaborative, polycentric, and adaptive governance to six IPBES transformative change clusters is used to evaluate the results. Findings indicate that MSP in the Pacific Islands currently operates in a reformist mode, contributing to improved coordination, dialogue, and awareness of ocean-use conflicts rather than deep governance transformation. Collaborative governance is evident in the rise of interministerial ocean committees and co-creation processes, yet meaningful engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in decision-making remains weak. Polycentric governance is partially visible through multi-actor steering committees but often manifests as fragmented and weakly coordinated, with limited decision-making authority. Adaptive governance is the least developed dimension, constrained by gaps in data, technical expertise, institutional continuity, and learning mechanisms. Yet, emerging MSP practices, including knowledge co-creation and revitalization of community rights, indicate nascent shifts toward transformative ocean governance. The study concludes that MSP in the Pacific Islands contexts examined in this study holds transformative potential but will require deeper institutional restructuring, authority redistribution, sustained knowledge co-production, and stronger adaptive learning systems to disrupt business-as-usual governance.