There is growing recognition of the opportunities that digital tools offer within MSP, from enhancing data visualisation and stakeholder participation to supporting scenario planning and adaptive management. However, the increasingly data-driven nature of MSP processes also poses new challenges, including questions about what types of knowledge and data are used and whose perspectives are represented and prioritised. Consequently, the “digital turn” of MSP presents challenges that are as much about governance and values as they are about technology.
This brief finds that the inclusion of ILK into MSP depends fundamentally on how MSP processes are designed and managed. Digital tools can either support or undermine inclusive planning, depending on the purposes and intentions that guide their use. When inclusion of ILK is embedded as a core objective from the outset, digitalisation becomes an opportunity to strengthen participation and ground planning in local realities. When it is not, these tools risk reinforcing power imbalances, marginalising knowledge and limiting the capacity of MSP to integrate diverse perspectives.
The path towards more equitable and just MSP processes therefore requires a shift in how MSP is approached. This means recognising that technical solutions alone are insufficient and that the real work lies in building awareness around how tools and data are used. It also means developing institutional capacity, clarifying responsibilities, fostering dialogue across governance levels and strengthening the role of communities in planning processes. These challenges are particularly acute with the rapid development of AI, but they also present opportunities for countries such as Greenland and the Faroe Islands that have yet to develop MSP, allowing them to build inclusive and adaptive approaches from the start rather than retrofitting existing systems.
Beyond these considerations, the key messages of this brief highlight the importance of reflecting on purpose, values and priorities. MSP is ultimately a question of what we aim to achieve and for whom. Decisions made today about the use of digital tools and data, the design of processes and the recognition of knowledge will shape the trajectory of ocean governance for years to come.
Rather than framing the discussion as a set of clear-cut recommendations, these messages serve as starting points for discussion and learning. The central question is not whether digital transformation will reshape MSP, but how that transformation can be guided in ways that respect the knowledge, practices and priorities of all communities that depend on and care for our oceans.