The basis for the design of MPAs in South Australia is a 5-level multiple-use zoning system. The aim is to protect coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems, while also providing for continued ecologically sustainable use of suitable areas. Most activities, including recreational and commercial activities, will continue within a MPA. However, there will be particular zones in which some activities will not be permitted thereby guaranteeing the protection of representative habitats, species and ecological features. At the highest level of protection is the Restricted Access Zone in which access and extraction is not generally permitted. While these will generally be the smallest zones, they will include the most important habitat and have the potential to be associated with the greatest conflict. The question that arises is where to best locate core
zones for biodiversity conservation that have the support of marine coastal users? Zoning for the Restricted Access Zone in the MPA then becomes a typical environmental decisionmaking problem because the process includes many stakeholders, uncertainties, multiple, possibly conflicting criteria; and impacts which extend far into the future (French and Geldermann 2005). Public participation, collaboration and consultation in the planning process are then imperatives for attaining a consensual MPA design. The plan to exclude certain activities, including recreational fishing, has generated much interest in the local media and across the wider community. Recent newspaper headlines, such as ‘Calls to Shelve Marine Parks’ (Anonymous 2005), ‘Anglers Fight For Future of Jetty Fishing’ (Austin 2005) and ‘330+ Submissions on MPA Proposal’ (Robinson 2005), further demonstrates the importance of open consultation and the need to provide an inclusive and transparent decision-making process. We suggest that a decision support tool and a systematic approach to planning can facilitate decision-making within a negotiation and conflict resolution environment. Recognising the need to be inclusive, open and transparent to the public, the State Government has implemented a consultation, collaboration and education program between all spheres of government, industry and community groups with an interest in the marine environment. This includes three on-going committees (Marine Advisory Committee; MPA Consultative Committee; Scientific Working Group), and public workshops and meetings during the draft phase of each MPA design. The potential exists to introduce a spatial decision support tool to the public participation process of MPA design.