Strategic Planning for a Blue Archipelago in the Azores

Keywords: Blue Economy, marine policy, islands, tourism, sustainable development, Azores, Portugal
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

In the past ten years the Blue Economy has become a term that encompasses goals and policies for environmentally and socioeconomically sustainable development in maritime, large lake, coastal, river estuary, and island places and regions. Institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have developed sets of policies and projects that are adopted by island nations and territories in the Caribbean region and in Portugal’s mid-Atlantic Azores Islands. This paper analyzes strategic plans being put in place in the Azores Islands to integrate the Blue Economy into the life, economy, and environmental stewardship of the islands. The analysis aims to facilitate the creation of a conceptual discussion that can identify potential strengths and flaws of the plans based on integral elements of the Blue Economy and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Another goal of this discussion is to serve as a guide to potential future strategic Blue plans in places other than the Azores.