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GRID-Arendal staff also contributed 3 chapters to this
scientific volume, published in 2012 by Elsevier.42
Pacific Islands Marine Spatial Planning Information System
GRID-Arendal is managing and providing technical over-
sight for a large AUSAID-funded project to develop a Pa-
cific Islands Marine Spatial Planning Information System
(due for completion in June 2014). The effort continues
a long-standing collaboration between GRID-Arendal,
Geoscience Australia, SPC/SOPAC and the University of
Sydney. The portal, now known as PacGeo, is a geospatial
catalogue to administer and deliver marine spatial data to
users. The system is built using the innovative GeoNode
open source geospatial content management system,
which can be easily maintained and expanded by the Pa-
cific community.
Pacific Marine Spatial Planning Workshop
As part of the 11th Pacific Islands Countries Maritime
Boundaries Workshop held in Sydney, Australia from
25th November to 6th December 2013 GRID-Arendal
assisted with a marine spatial planning workshop for
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals.
This workshop focussed on building regional capacity
in marine spatial data analysis and communication to
support marine spatial planning. Participants were in-
troduced to a range of processing and analysis tech-
niques using the freely available spatial analysis soft-
ware Quantum GIS. The workshop was well received,
with requests for further training at future Pacific
Boundaries Workshops. One participant commented
that “out of the four similar workshops I had attended
in Sydney, the last workshop was one of the most con-
structive and educational, especially in relation to GIS
and spatial analysis”.43
7.3 GREEN ECONOMY AND
NATURAL RESOURCES
 Green Economy for a blue world
Applying the Green Economy concept to the ocean
presents many new opportunities which can create
new jobs, achieve a higher rate of sustainable growth,
reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and secure
sustainability obligations – all achieved through bet-
ter protection and investment in habitats, marine fish-
eries resources and biodiversity. However, barriers to
42. Harris, P.T. and Baker, E.K., 2012 (Editors). Seafloor Geomorphology
as Benthic Habitat: GeoHab Atlas of seafloor geomorphic features and
benthic habitats. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 947pp.
43. Comment from Mr Malakai Vakautwale, Fiji’s Maritime Boundary
Coordinating Committee
realizing greater opportunities and benefits need to
be addressed, and industry working in the ocean needs
to be greened, so the ocean can play a fuller, more cen-
tral, role in economies at national, regional and global
scales.
Green Economy in a Blue World: global report
The Green Economy in a Blue World44 report was complet-
ed in 2012.45 The report argues that the ecological health
and economic productivity of marine and coastal ecosys-
tems, which are currently in decline around the globe, can
be boosted by shifting to a more sustainable economic
paradigm that taps their natural potential - from generat-
ing renewable energy and promoting eco-tourism, to sus-
tainable fisheries and transport. It is viewed as a useful re-
source to promote policy shifts to a more sustainable and
inclusive economy, and also as a textbook for introductory
courses in the field.
GRID-Arendal was the lead coordinator for the report
(and for the SIDS report below), working with an exten-
sive team from international organizations.46 GRID-Aren-
dal also prepared the report’s marine minerals chapter
and conclusions. Follow-up outreach with UNEP and
44.
45.
46. Partners included , the
the
and GRID-Arendal.
Participant showing one of the maps he produced during the workshop