Marine Spatial Planing - A New Perspective Based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework

By : Dr. (Cdr) Arnab Das

Page No: 143-156

Introduction
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), has become the theatre of geopolitical and geo-strategic interactions in the 21st century, and various nations both from within and the extra-regional powers are deploying their strategic assets in the region. It is the Indo part of the Indo-Pacific strategic space, which is largely defined as the tropical littoral waters of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The tropical waters present unique challenges and opportunitiespolitically, economically, and physically, thus any attempt at governance must account for the unique tropical characteristics1 . Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is probably the most effective tool for governance and management of challenges and opportunities in the marine as well as the freshwater systems. The precise mapping of the resources, their quality & availability, concerns of security & sustainability and many more can really help in their effective and efficient exploitation. The exploration is equally critical and there again, MSP can be a great tool. All kinds of policy & technology interventions can be deployed using MSP in vast marine and freshwater systems2 .Dr. (Cdr) Arnab Das, an Indian Navy veteran with over two decades of active service, has been involved in underwater research for over two decades with reasonable contribution to the strategic security and blue economy. Holder of a Masters & PhD Degree from IIT Delhi, Dr. Das is the Founder Director of the Maritime Research Centre (MRC), Pune. He has been extensively writing for leading periodicals to create awareness about the underwater domain. 

Author :
*Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das, an Indian Navy veteran with over two decades of active service, has been involved in underwater research for over two decades with reasonable contribution to the strategic security and blue economy. Holder of a Masters & PhD degree from IIT Delhi, Dr. Das is the Founder Director of the Maritime Research Centre (MRC), Pune. He has been extensively writing for leading periodicals to create awareness about the underwater domain.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JIOS.2022.30.03.4