Building capacity for integrated coastal management in developing countries

The need for building human and institutional capacity has been identified in Agenda 21 of the UNCED conference as well as by a number of international environmental institutions as essential for integrated coastal management (ICM) and sustainable development in developing coastal states. There is a growing need for coastal management practitioners and organizations with expertise in planning and implementation for ICM. The application of strategies for institutional development and building human capacity in coastal management and other fields shows that short-term intensive training efforts and long-term institutional strengthening programs are appropriate to address the issues and needs of ICM. An overview of the experience of the URI/USAID International Coastal Resources Management Program in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ecuador presents lessons learned for strengthening ICM efforts in developing countries.     

The way forward with ecosystem-based management in tropical contexts: Reconciling with existing management systems

This paper discusses some of the challenges and opportunities that can arise when implementing ecosystem-based management (EBM) in tropical nations. EBM creates a new series of challenges, problems, and opportunities that must be considered in light of existing governance and management frameworks in a local context. The paper presents five case studies from different parts of the tropical world, including Oceania, insular and continental Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Caribbean, which illustrate that the implementation of EBM in watershed and marine ecosystems offers a new series of challenges and opportunities for its inclusion with existing forms of environmental governance and management. The paper suggests that EBM is best thought of as an expansion of customary management (CM) and integrated coastal management (ICM), rather than a paradigm shift, and that it has certain benefits that are worth integrating into existing systems when possible. The paper concludes that the cultural and institutional context of CM as well as the experience, technical skills, and legal basis that serve ICM programs are logical platforms from which to build EBM programs. Some guidelines for creating hybrid management regimes are suggested. In sum, declining marine species and ecosystems require urgent action, necessitating utilization of existing paradigms such as ICM and CM as a foundation for building EBM.     

Pathways of integrated coastal management from national policy to local implementation: Enabling climate change adaptation

Integrated coastal management (ICM) has been developing concomitantly with the realisation of the severity of the potential impacts of climate change. The discourse on climate change and adaptation has also included the awareness that adaptation must take place at all levels of government, particularly local government. Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on the physical, social, environmental and economic environments of coastal cities and towns, and in particular on the poor and vulnerable communities within these cities and towns. The crucial role that local government can play in climate protection and building cities' and communities' resilience to climate change is widely recognised at the global level. This paper explores the legal and policy connexion between ICM, local government and climate change in Mozambique and South Africa, two developing countries in Africa. The state of institutionalisation of coastal management at national through to local government is also examined. The authors contend that the state, character and maturity of the ICM policy domain can create an enabling environment within which local government agencies can prepare for future impacts of climate change. Conversely it can also limit, delay and hinder climate change adaptation. The paper concludes with the identification of some key success factors for assessing the effectiveness of the existing policy and legal frameworks to respond to the challenges of climate change. It also identifies some key principles to be included in future legislative reform to promote ICM, cooperative governance and greater preparedness for climate change at local government level.     

Building up a training base for integrated coastal management through partnerships in Xiamen

The Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) project in Xiamen, which started in the mid-1990s, is considered a successful example of ICM implementation. Now on its second cycle, the project has achieved significant results and received positive feedback from various international organizations.ICM, in general, has proven to be a workable environmental management scheme, and it has been replicated elsewhere in China and in other countries. However, it should be noted that ICM programs need to employ strategies aimed at strengthening human resources and institutional capacities. This paper discusses the establishment of the International Training Center for Coastal Sustainable Development and its role in disseminating the experiences and expertise of the Xiamen ICM site, the advancement of public education on ICM with the implementation of the Community-Based Conservation Management Cooperative Program of the Canadian International Development Agency; and the expansion of professional education in ICM through a Joint Masters Program in Environmental Management with the University of San Francisco. These three programs have been highly successful in developing ICM capacities at different levels (i.e. awareness of policymakers, public awareness and professional education), and they contribute to the formulation, design and implementation of successful ICM initiatives. As such, the formulation and implementation of partnerships in education programs are deemed crucial for Xiamen's success and in its role as one of the training bases for ICM in East Asia.     

Beginning integrated coastal management efforts in Madagascar

Integrated coastal management (ICM) is an emerging approach in East Africa for the solution of various coastal issues. This paper is intended to provide an update on the current practical aspects concerning the ICM process and related policies and strategies in Madagascar. Efforts are being made in Madagascar for the mutual integration of numerous coastal projects and activities within the Environment Program of the National Environmental Action Plan. The foundations for an ICM program, built during an ICM workshop, which took place at the end of 1996 upon existing activities, are being expanded presently. These developments concern, above all, the institutional aspects related to the formulation of an ICM program. Therefore, the actual situation sees an overgrowing collaboration of the national and international agencies involved in the implementation of coastal projects, in an expandingly integrating way, within an institutional framework that grows progressively stronger. The case of Madagascar suggests reflections on how ICM can mitigate potential sectoral conflicts as well as on, how the sometimes complex nature of the social and cultural issues may influence the development of an ICM program. The need for monitoring ICM is stressed and the role of outside partners clarified.     

The evolving organisational framework for Integrated Coastal Management in England and Wales

Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) enjoys growing support within the UK. It is therefore timely to assess the factors which have influenced the evolution of the current administrative system and to investigate the extent to which the current organisational arrangements provide a suitable framework within which ICM can develop. Coastal management is indebted to related developments in conservation and environmental management. As a corrective to fragmented and largely sectoral institutional arrangements, limited integrative mechanisms have recently been introduced. Further opportunities arising from the establishment of regional government and with European initiatives should consolidate the establishment of a more integrated coastal management regime.     

Global scale evaluation of coastal fresh groundwater resources

This paper presents a simplified approach to assess the effects of global warming on global coastal groundwater resources over the next century based on the smallest but necessary number of elements such as rainfall, temperature, hydraulic conductivity of the aquifers, and population changes regarding the consumption of groundwater. The positive aspect in this approach is that there is availability of the above elements in the majority of the planet. Methodology includes a sharp interface concept model and simplified estimation of groundwater recharge using limited climate data. The evaluation shows that the future climate changes would decrease fresh groundwater resources in Central American, South American, South African and Australian regions whereas most of the areas in Asia, except South-East Asia. Combinations of fresh groundwater loss and global population are considered to state the vulnerability of future fresh groundwater supply. Vulnerability assessment shows that South Asia, Central America, North Africa and the Sahara, South Africa and the Middle East countries are highly vulnerable whereas, Northern Europe, Western part of South America, New Zealand and Japan are less vulnerable with respect to future fresh groundwater supply. Further, this paper highlights the necessity Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) practices in these vulnerable coastal regions to ensure the sustainable development in coastal regions.     

Frameworks and indicators for assessing progress in integrated coastal management initiatives

The fundamental purpose of all integrated coastal management (ICM) initiatives is to maintain, restore or improve specified qualities of coastal ecosystems and their associated human societies. A defining feature of ICM is that it addresses needs for both development and conservation in geographically specific places—be they a single community, an estuary or the coast of an entire nation. The times required to achieve these fundamental goals at significant spatial scales far exceed those of the usual 4–6-year project, the dominant ICM modality in developing nations. This paper offers two simple, but elastic frameworks for assessing progress over the extended time periods involved. The first is the four Orders of Outcomes that group together the sequences of institutional, behavioral and social/environmental changes that can lead to more sustainable forms of coastal development. The second framework is a version of the more familiar ICM policy cycle. These conceptually simple frameworks are making it possible to unbundle and organize into consistent formats the usually implicit assumptions that underpin project and program designs and then group activities and outcomes along a critical path that leads—or is presumed to lead—to the desired outcomes. Each step in the ICM policy cycle and each Order of Outcomes suggest the indicators by which progress and learning can be assessed. The application of these frameworks to a diversity of ICM initiatives is proving useful in assessing progress across portfolios of ICM initiatives, extracting good practices and teasing out how different governance contexts effect the forces that shape the evolution of ICM initiatives.     

Legitimacy issues in public participation in coastal decision making processes: Case studies from Belgium and France

Public participation is one of the central principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). However, within current public participation practice in coastal decision making there remain questions regarding whether or not the project leaders or participation processes can be considered legitimate. The paper explores the issue of legitimacy, examining case studies of coastal decision making processes from Belgium and France, focusing on the legal constraints for public participation including degree of formality and government style. It reveals that there are legitimacy issues in public participation related to the legal and institutional framework of the project, as well as to the knowledge base, and characteristics of the stakeholders and their interests. This study concludes that legitimacy issues in an ICZM process cannot be solved entirely through an institutional framework and associated legislation.     

Community perspectives on integrated coastal management: Voices from the Annapolis Basin area,Nova Scotia,Canada

This paper seeks to address the missing dimension of the place of Maritime communities in Canadian Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). This work is part of a larger network of projects on ICM through the participatory Coastal Community University Research Alliance. The implementation of ICM with full community involvement is a challenge, for example: communities are not unified or homogenous units, power varies among stakeholders, and silo constructs and turf wars discourage involvement of the wider public. In 2007, a survey of nine community-based organizations and associations and a First Nation community, located within the Annapolis Basin and surrounding areas of the Nova Scotia side of the Bay of Fundy was conducted. The purpose of the survey was to better understand how the concept of ICM is conceptualized and acted upon by local communities and to draw upon this to enrich ICM theory.Approximately 30 projects representing community-based ICM initiatives over the last 10 years were identified, including: capacity building, habitat and stock enhancement/ management programs and responses to new policies or legislative interventions. Several enabling and constraining factors for community involvement in ICM were identified. One key finding is a major difference between community and government approaches. Government ICM initiatives have captured some aspects of the environmental and economic management issues, but have generally failed to consider cultural and social components. They have also failed to take into account the interconnections within and between human and ecological systems. Community members report that government is more interested in forming partnerships with the corporate sector than with the people who rely on local resources. From the community perspective, dealing with the resulting power imbalances must involve revisiting the “core values” that underpin regulation and resource exploitation.This study demonstrates that communities are usually the “first responders"” for many ecological problems, and there is a willingness to take responsibility for the management of resources. ICM is already embedded in on-going community projects, networks and forums. These initiatives promote the principles identified in Canada's Oceans Act and Oceans Strategy, but the relevant government agencies have provided little support to them. ICM has the potential to bring together many issues that can be addressed by the multi-stakeholder process, but this needs to be facilitated by on-going government collaborations, contributions and recognition.     

Examining the assumptions of integrated coastal management: Stakeholder agendas and elite cooption in Babuyan Islands, Philippines

In the Philippines, Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) represents the dominant response to narratives of ecosystem decline. However, there are persistent challenges to implementation, manifested in continued resource degradation, questioning of the exercise of stakeholder involvement and rising resource conflicts. This paper examines the implementation process and how the assumptions embodied in the ICM regime meet the local reality in one group of islands in the Philippine archipelago. The evidence shows how the transformation towards a supposed equilibrium state of coastal ecosystems is undermined in the face of diverging stakeholder agendas. Expected actors are disempowered by the incoherence between the policy owners’ worldview and reality, paving the way for unethical influence from elite alliances. This is coupled with a deepening of the dominance of state, international development banks, foreign aid agencies, and NGOs in promoting their respective interests. In localities such as the Babuyan Islands, when assumptions of ICM collapse it has destructive consequences for fisherfolk and the coastal environment. We conclude that if ICM is to foster an effective and equitable correction of current unsustainable exploitation patterns, then there is a need to institute improved accountability mechanisms in the devolved governance system as well as taking seriously the espoused commitment to stakeholder involvement in determining the goals and assumptions of ICM.     

Designation processes for marine protected areas in the coastal wetlands of South Korea

The history of Korean tidal flat management and the process for designating Coastal Wetland Protected Areas (CWPAs) are described. Korean coastal wetlands have a long history of intensive use through reclamation for agricultural and industrial uses in the 20th century. Recently, the management policy is shifting away from intensive use towards the conservation of wetlands. This shift is caused by increasing public awareness of the value of wetlands and strong institutional support from the government. Since the Wetlands Conservation Act was passed in 1999, a total of twelve CWPAs have been designated through both top-down and bottom-up processes. Three designation paths are classified based on the relevant drivers, namely government-driven designations (seven CWPAs), local community driven designations (three CWPAs), and conflict resolution (trade-offs) driven designation (two CWPAs). The lessons learned from the designation of Korean CWPAs is that diversification of designation process could facilitate voluntary participation of local stakeholders and thereby enhance the chance of successful implementation of wise use strategy of tidal flats.     

Towards climate adaptation and coastal governance in Ireland: Integrated architecture for effective management?

Coastal environments are susceptible to a range of impacts arising from medium and long-term climate change. However, as Ireland's population and industrial centres are concentrated in coastal locations, Ireland's coastal communities will be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Therefore, making the best use of existing knowledge to inform the establishment of governance structures capable of facilitating the measures and actions which may soon be required is a national imperative. Coastal communities worldwide have turned to integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) as a process to deliver sustainable development. This paper explores how experience gained from ICZM implementation can be harnessed to inform the development and implementation of climate adaptation policies, with a particular focus on the coastal zone. Using the principles and conceptual basis of Earth System Governance – an emerging approach to analyse complexity of governance under global environmental change – the paper maps the architecture of ICZM and climate governance in Ireland. The research identifies the main barriers to, and opportunities for, integrated application of the two policy domains. Barriers include the fragmentation of governance structures and responsibilities of key stakeholders, a lack of coordinated support for ICZM implementation at the national level, and a relatively weak awareness of the specifics of adaptation at the local level. Opportunities include the availability of expertise gathered from phases of ICZM implementation in Ireland, which encompasses mechanisms for science-policy integration, and invaluable experience of stakeholder participation and interaction. Current political and scientific support at national and EU levels give an additional impetus to climate research and actions which may bring additional opportunities and resources to coastal governance in Ireland.     

A dual-level framework for evaluating integrated coastal management beyond labels

Despite many efforts in the past 10 years, Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) evaluation remains much of a challenge. Building on theoretical resources provided by three bodies of work (strategic analysis of environmental management, integrated coastal management and evaluation of public policies), this paper first underlines some of the most critical weaknesses and “black boxes” in current ICM evaluation. It explains why a single purpose program evaluation model is unsatisfactory, and how it hinders evaluation in practice. It then suggests ways to re-think ICM evaluation, proposing a dual-level framework that combines evaluation of ICM initiatives with evaluation of coastal management systems.     

Marine protected areas: a tool for integrated coastal management in Belize

Management of the Belize Barrier Reef was originally envisioned through the creation of marine protected areas. However, the influence of land-based activities was not accounted for in Marine Protected Area (MPA) programs. Therefore focus was shifted to an integrated approach via Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). The Belize ICM process has evolved into a system of coordination through the fostering of multi-sectoral linkages for integrated management of coastal resources. Marine protected areas were included in the ICM program as tools for achieving biodiversity protection and management of sensitive habitats. The ICM process has resulted in greater coordination and consultation in decision making for coastal resource issues, the MPA program however has not evolved with the trend of greater community involvement in MPA management. The greatest challenges to MPA and ICM programs in the next 10 years are: improved linkages between the two, fostering of community participation in management, broadening of the scope of ICM to watersheds and ocean governance, and sustainable financing for both programs.     

Lessons learned from ‘decentralized’ ICM: an analysis of Canada's Atlantic Coastal Action Program and China's Xiamen ICM Program

Integrated coastal management (ICM) is a management process used by stakeholders in decision making to determine how coastal areas will be used and what activities can take place in them. While many ICM Programs are national government initiatives, some ICM Programs are ‘decentralized’, managed by community groups or local governments. This paper describes the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP), an ICM Program in Atlantic Canada, and the Xiamen ICM Program, in Xiamen, China, and discusses their major differences. The most important difference between the two ICM Programs is that ACAP is a community-based program that uses a multi-stakeholder approach and consensus decision making, while the Xiamen ICM Program is managed by a coordinating office within a local government. After comparing the two programs, some general lessons learned about decentralized ICM from these case studies are noted. It is concluded that the appropriate use of either model for ICM depends on the cultural, economic and political environment of the program. However, stakeholder involvement, scientific consultation and the use of a detailed management plan are important components of any decentralized ICM program.     

A contribution to the implementation of ICZM in the Mediterranean developing countries

The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) principles in the Mediterranean developing countries at the moment of signing the protocol on ICZM for the Mediterranean, in the framework of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan of the Barcelona Convention. This assessment is based on the results of two advanced seminars on ICZM promoted by the Azahar programme of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for the Development (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation). The contribution of the participants of the seminar, who are representatives of national agencies related with ICZM in different Mediterranean countries, have been collected through a questionnaire including: (i) a ranking of the main coastal sectors and the main coastal issues of each country; (ii) significant initiatives for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean coastal zones; and (iii) the evaluation of the ICZM progress. The state of the coast, the level of implementation of ICZM and the main problems faced to apply it, have been detected for each country. None of the consulted countries have a full implemented integrated coastal zone management, the major problems being: (i) the lack of financial commitment for the implementation of ICZM; (ii) the lack of an assessment and monitoring system; (iii) the lack of knowledge regarding the coastal system; (iv) the lack of qualified human resources; and (v) the lack of public participation and administrative integration strategies based on information. From these conclusions, some recommendations to improve ICZM are also provided. The work presented in this paper is the starting point to assess the evolution and the reference from which ICZM will be improved through the protocol on ICZM for the Mediterranean.     

Lessons learned from Eastern Africa: the development of policy on ICZM at national and regional levels

Coastal zones of Eastern Africa are endowed with a diversity of life forms and resources which support large populations of coastal communities. The economies of the countries in the region are dependent on these resources in the form of fisheries and coastal forest products, tourism, shipways and coastal facilities such as ports, industries and urban centers.Population growth, especially in coastal urban centers is increasing the demand for coastal and marine resources. In addition, poverty, lack of awareness and inadequate management have resulted in over exploitation of coastal and marine resources, habitat destruction including shoreline erosion as well as marine pollution. The rate of resource depletion and environmental degradation is on the increase. There is an urgent need for instituting management measure that will reverse the current trend.The governments in the region have accepted and are committed to the implementation of Integrated coastal management (ICZM) as an effective mechanism for addressing and resolving the multiplicity of issues experienced in coastal areas through sectoral coordination and collaborative approaches. However, the process has just begun and there are a number of ICZM initiatives in progress at local, national and regional levels. This paper presents the issues of the coastal zone and reviews some of the progress made to date in the implementation of ICZM.     

Confronting coastal poverty: Building sustainable coastal livelihoods in South Africa

This is the second of two articles exploring coastal management in South Africa. It focuses on the adoption of the Sustainable Livelihoods approach that has underpinned recent policy implementation efforts. This approach complements prevailing coastal management thinking and practice by focusing attention on the strategies that poor people use to access coastal resources, mediated by governance institutions and social relations, in the pursuit of desired livelihood outcomes. South Africa's efforts to adopt this approach help to better understand coastal livelihood opportunities and challenges, identify priority interventions for improving livelihood prospects, and reveal imperatives for building sustainable coastal livelihoods.     

Implementing Integrated Coastal Zone Management in a national policy vacuum: Local case studies from Ireland

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is widely advocated at all levels of governance as a means of delivering sustainable development in coastal areas. This paper explores the status and characteristics of various forms of ICZM at the local level given that it is at this level that most ICZM activity currently takes place. In this context, local level ICZM includes agency-led initiatives, local pilot projects and bottom-up approaches. Providing empirical evidence about the relative strengths and weaknesses of these various models for local delivery, this paper presents an overview, critique of and lessons learned from approaches in Ireland, where there is no over-arching national coastal management policy to provide any steer for management. The potential for local government involvement in these approaches is emphasised, particularly in bottom-up and local projects which foster strengthened management capacity within local government with limited resource implications. Whilst the paper highlights difficult jurisdictional issues in the Irish context, the potential for improved coastal management, through continued local government involvement in ICZM networks and local projects, as well as through the implementation of the European Integrated Maritime Policy and Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is outlined.