Reflective practice for marine planning: A case study of marine nature-based tourism partnerships

An essential component of ecosystem-based approaches in coastal zone management and the emerging field of marine planning are partnerships and collaborations between a range of multi-sector organisations and individuals. Ensuring that partnerships are effective is a priority for those responsible for planning and management in coastal and marine environments. Current partnership evaluation approaches, however, tend to view effectiveness as the cumulative end result of a set of variables acting in a linear process at a specific point in time. Given that governance and participation are acknowledged as non-linear and multifaceted processes, more reflective and nuanced approaches that take account of the dynamic, multidimensional and geographically embedded nature of the collaborative process are needed. This paper proposes a new framework for partnership evaluation based on policy narratives and indicators, and demonstrates the potential of the approach using three case studies of partnerships focused upon marine nature-based tourism. The insights from this research have direct relevance to the agencies and organisations responsible for delivering integrated coastal management, including marine spatial planning. ► This paper examines the concept of partnership effectiveness. ► Moves from viewing effectiveness as a cumulative end result to an ongoing reflective practice. ► An alternative evaluation framework based on policy narratives and indicators is proposed. ► Alternative evaluation framework is assessed using three case studies. ► Insights from this research have direct relevance for marine spatial planning.