OceanPact and EnvironPact will take part in two panel discussions on marine spatial planning during “Ocean20 Dialogues 2024,” an international seminar due to take place between August 20 and 23 at Fundação Getulio Vargas, a university and think tank based in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro.

The event will address how marine spatial planning will be tackled going forward and explore how emerging challenges may offer transformative opportunities. The participants will include public officials, entrepreneurs, executives and specialists from around the world, as well as renowned Brazilian professionals.

Flavio Andrade, the CEO of OceanPact, will take part in a panel called “Regulatory, Procedural and Operational Aspects Associated with Marine Spatial Planning” on August 23, at 11:20 a.m. The moderator will be Professor André Panno Beirão of the Rio de Janeiro Naval War College. Among other topics, the panelists will discuss how marine spatial planning can serve as a tool for identifying and implementing political, strategic, economic, scientific and technological actions, as well as environmental preservation strategies.

Later that day, at 2 p.m., José Luis Pizzorno, EnvironPact’s development manager, will speak on a panel called “Blue Economy Views on Marine Spatial Planning.” The moderator will be Simone Pennafirme, UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability, who will discuss how marine spatial planning affects different sectors of the blue economy, including energy, ports and shipping, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced by these industries.

EnvironPact and Fundação Getulio Vargas are due to carry out maritime spatial planning for Brazil’s Southeast Marine Region, as members of the Southeast Blue consortium, after being ranked first in a public tender held by the national development bank, BNDES. The Southeast Marine Region accounts for around 82% of Brazil’s blue economy, including oil and gas, port and tourism activities. The consortium will conduct studies related to activities in the marine, coastal and oceanic environments.