Combining process and output indicators to evaluate participation and sustainability in integrated coastal zone management projects

Integrated coastal zone management has evolved in practice and in the literature to implicate and advocate for public participation. Public participation has been proposed to open debate, contribute to policy formulation, increase government accountability, build support for agency programs, reduce community tensions and increase the sustainability of the actions. This study analysed the success of three integrated coastal zone management projects based on 8 process and output indicators. Public participation does not seem to have had an impact on the overall project objective nor on the sustainability indicators. These results bring us back to the initial concept of ICZM based on horizontal and vertical integration, and suggest that projects promoting ICZM need to be adapted to each specific cultural and political context. Long-term sustainability and natural resource management will only be achieved when the projects and activities are adapted to meet the reality on the field.     

The ICZM Balanced Scorecard: A tool for putting integrated coastal zone management into action

Coastal areas are characterised by the choice of performance measures and/or reference points which may be critical in the environmental management process, determining the success of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plan. The tools for the strategic control of ICZM plans are particularly important, although they are still not widely used at the local level. The following paper proposes the use of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method of Kaplan and Norton (1992), which is a holistic management performance tool that can be used by managers to put into action their business strategy. In particular the methodology has focused on the use of a BSC process, inspired by the Niven (2003) approach for public bodies. The BSC suggests the creation of a framework for the strategic assessment of plans and projects based on the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean (Protocol). An analysis of the Protocol has been carried out according to the BSC model, and it shows how it can be integrated with assessment and environmental management tools, such as the Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses (DPSIR) framework. The proposed process has suggested a novel framework for analysing the ICZM plans of coastal managers and stakeholders. The analytical framework facilitates the examination of Drivers and causes of the ICZM strategy, the possible impact on society and coastal communities, the most appropriate measures to achieve the objectives and the practicalities of implementing such measures given the institutional context of where these are developed.     

Practitioner training for building capacity in ICZM

Capacity building has been a much promoted principle of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) since its advent beginning in the 1970’s. Although the concept of capacity building includes human resource development, organizational development and institutional and legal framework development, in practice it has often become focussed on the transfer of technical knowledge and procedures to managers and decision makers. The effect of this is often to emphasise and promote sectoral approaches rather than a holistic one as advocated by ICZM. Experiences gained during the EU Intereg IIIB COREPOINT project led to the development of a training programme that progressively reduced its formal lecture-style content and increased opportunity for discussion and delegate participation. It also produced a more uniform and systematic style and structure to presentations, in particular the case studies illustrating the eight EU ICZM principles of best practice, and embedded the ICZM principles and European perspectives of coastal management within the context of the work environment.This paper reviews methods for practitioner-oriented capacity building, and details the evolution of a training course to sensitise and familiarise coastal practitioners with the principles and practices of ICZM, working from local to national to trans-national scales. The lessons learnt from the ICZM capacity development in COREPOINT are identified and it is suggested that these are relevant and applicable to many other ICZM initiatives.     

Integrated coastal zone management in the People's Republic of China—An assessment of structural impacts on decision-making processes

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) forms a generally accepted concept to ensure sustainable development in the coastal zone. The implementation of the ICZM framework as formulated, e.g. by the World Coast Conference, is often constrained by the political system within which it should be applied. This is the case in the People's Republic of China. This study takes a political science perspective based on approaches inherent in neo-institutional and administrative theories. This way the relevant political structures are explained and the impacts that the transformation of the socio-economic system had on institutions are located. This is extended by the reflection of related political power distribution. This part of the analysis mainly contains existing knowledge on (integrated) CZM in China but evaluates it from a so far neglected point of view. The second part of the paper is taking the successful local ICZM approach of Xiamen and a proposed approach for Shanghai as an example to show that the adaptation of a working approach to other parts of the country is impossible without modifications to the organizational structures of decision-making and implementation. So far the literature emphasizes mostly modifications in content. An important reason for structural elements being comparably important is the choice of ICZM issues and the local power distribution. It furthermore shows that these are also the determining factors obstructing the upscaling of a local approach to the national level, a fact, which constrains the formulation of national guidelines in China and leaves only the bottom-up alternative of introducing ICZM to China—a hard task that leaves a disproportional responsibility to the local governmental level.     

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.     

Relevance of systems approaches for implementing Integrated Coastal Zone Management principles in Europe

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) development is described here in the broader context of European coastal management initiatives. The European approach to coastal governance revolves around the principles of ICZM, as enshrined in EC Recommendation 2002/413/EC. This study investigates the extent to which the FP6 funded project SPICOSA (Science Policy Integration for Coastal Systems Assessment) was able to implement these principles. The SPICOSA project aimed to test whether it was possible to develop and implement a systems approach framework via delivery of a structured engagement process between scientists and policymakers. A survey of representatives from 14 European study sites involved in the project revealed that the approach had been effective at implementing some ICZM principles, particularly the “holistic approach”. However, not all principles were fully implemented at all sites and the most challenging to implement was that of “a long term approach”. The paper concludes with a critical consideration of the role of a systems approach framework in progressing the current state of intellectual assent towards practical implementation of ICZM principles. The findings provide evidence of contributions and limitations of systems approaches to sustainability science and good governance.     

Shortcomings in the European principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM): Assessing the implications for locally orientated coastal management using Biome Portfolio Analysis (BPA)

EU policy geared towards the sustainable development of European coastal areas has incorporated Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) as one of its primary mechanisms to achieve its goal. However, critical shortcomings in the ICZM paradigm have emerged. In particular, incoherence in the European Commission's ICZM principles with respect to local and strategic objectives remains an issue. Additionally, a lack of scientific certainty about environmental processes when determining the environmental pros and cons of alternative coastal-management decisions undermines environmentally protective decisions that may otherwise hinder local regional development. With these issues in mind, a Biodiversity Portfolio Analysis (BPA) is applied to Iarras Aithneach, a peninsula on the west coast of Ireland, to test its suitability as tool for ICZM. In addition, the paper uses the BPA methodology to explore the contrast between scientific/strategic and local attitudes towards the management of a coastal area of environmental importance. Pronounced differences between the two are found and the implications for both BPA and ICZM are discussed. The spatial and participatory nature of the BPA process and the explicit treatment of risk the framework exhibits suggest there is scope for it to become a useful tool for ICZM. It also has the potential to act as a routine way of quantifying the “attitude gap” between the scientific community and the local community when managing a unique coastal area.     

Canada's Atlantic Coastal Action Program: A community-based approach to collective governance

The Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) is a community-based coastal management initiative that has been underway on Canada's east coast for the past 6 years. Coalitions of local stakeholders have been assisted by government in taking a lead role for the planning and management activities in 13 coastal ecosystems throughout Atlantic Canada. The program was initiated and originally facilitated by the federal government (Environment Canada) but has come to be led and owned at the local level. The objective is to have all those affecting and/or affected by local decisions involved in this process. In ACAP, the traditional role of government is shared with the local roundtables that are established in each coastal ecosystem. Instead of government departments being the lead agencies that set policy and priorities, the communities assume this function and the government agencies become partners in responding to their identified needs. ACAP is a practical demonstration of the joint management, or collective governance approach to Integrated Coastal Management and offers lessons to governments and coastal communities looking to establish lasting partnership approaches that have the potential to achieve the sustainable development of coastal ecosystems.     

Integrated coastal zone management towards Indonesia global ocean observing system (INA-GOOS): Review and recommendation

Indonesia as an archipelagos country consisting of more than 17,508 islands has a challenging problem in terms of island management and the provisional ocean services to the coastal community. The population growth (especially in coastal areas) followed by declining natural resources caused by overfishing and overexploitation is one of the biggest concerns both for the central and the local governments in Indonesia. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is one of the attempted solutions to overcome these difficulties, however, it is known to be unsatisfactory even after several programs under ICZM have been developed and implemented. Therefore, further facilitation of ICZM programs is necessary in order to benefit to Indonesian governmental management of their islands, coastal areas and oceans. In doing so, ICZM will also make a significant contribution towards the implementation of the Indonesia Global Ocean Observing System (INA-GOOS). This paper aims to review ICZM activities in Indonesia to obtain a better understanding of, and the need for ICZM implementations in support of their policy, sustainability and decision-making process in the direction of INA-GOOS. It is expected that the ICZM implementations will have a high impact on INA-GOOS programs.     

Interviewing people about the coast on the coast: Appraising the wider adoption of ICZM in North East England

This paper tests the hypothesis that Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is the best strategy for achieving good coastal governance on the North East coast of England using two geographically adjacent case studies: the East Riding coast, which has an ICZM framework in place and the Northumberland coast, which does not. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for face-to-face interviews with local representatives at each study site to underpin a common context and understanding between the interviewer and interviewee. Postal surveys were used to solicit responses from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governmental representatives.     

ICZM and coastal defence perception by beach users: Lessons from the Mediterranean coastal area

Member States of the European Union and the Mediterranean Regional Sea need to elaborate national strategies for coastal management according to ICZM principles and to undertake national stock-taking, which must consider major actors, laws and institutions influencing the management of their national coastal zone. However, different approaches to coastal management and defence and various degrees of development and implementation of national ICZM strategies can be found. The research presented in this article aims to analyze the different situations and to contribute to the further development of a common approach in terms of methodology to establish stakeholder and users participation in ICZM. An extensive survey was conducted in five pilot sites along the European Mediterranean coastal zone (Greece, Italy and France) show beach visitors’ perception of ICZM, coastal erosion and coastal defence systems, and beach visitors’ Willingness To Pay (WTP) for beach defence. The survey yielded important information for coastal and beach managers. Surprisingly, the level of awareness about generic Coastal Zone Management was found to be rather low in all regions except Riccione Southern beach, Emilia-Romagna Region. In the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, this is justified by the fact that most of the respondents were not local people or beach visitors (other than recreational day-visitors). As regards coastal erosion it appears significant that, despite the lack of awareness demonstrated overall by stakeholders in the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace, visitors respond very positively to definitions and show awareness of the erosion process in their coastal system. In conclusion, in order to raise public awareness about ICZM, erosion and coastal defence systems, it is suggested that education, training and public awareness should be promoted as well as identification of local needs for the implementation of specific demand-driven studies.     

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.     

Iran's Integrated Coastal Management plan: Persian Gulf,Oman Sea,and southern Caspian Sea coastlines

Iran, having two separate coastlines at its north and south of about 3000 km length, with very different characteristics, suffers from various coastal problems. While its northern coastal area is over-populated and its sensitive and unique habitats must be protected from destruction, most of its southern coastal areas are undeveloped and deserted. Intense oil and gas exploitation activities in the Caspian Sea region and occurrence of two wars in the Persian Gulf during the last two decades have rendered hydrocarbon pollution a major issue for this country's marine and coastal environment. Biodiversity is under threat in some areas and natural resources are deteriorating. To overcome the problems, Integrated Coastal Management has been considered by Iran's government as a long-term solution. In Iran's ICZM study project, baseline studies along with social, economical, and spatial planning studies in the coastal provinces are carried out in order to achieve the desired outcomes as a number of strategic plans for the coastal areas that are to be implemented by a coastal management entity. Providing the required laws and regulations for establishing such a management body is also under way. In this paper after reviewing Iran's coastal zone characteristics and problems, the long-term goals, strategies, and policies for sustainable management of Iran's coastal areas are outlined. Then, the ICZM study procedure and its prospected outcomes are explained, and importance of some of the findings of Iran's ICM is emphasized. Finally, some challenges including having two separate and different coastlines at the north and south of the country and their effects on the Iran's ICZM plan are discussed.     

Coastal research and policy integration in northwest Europe. The COREPOINT project

The COREPOINT (COastal REsearch and POlicy INTegration) project aimed to advance integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in northwest Europe through a network of local authorities, research organisations and NGOs. It involved 12 partners from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Belgium. The project enabled a comparison of approaches to ICZM at the northwest Europe scale and a series of workshops was hosted to promote the principles contained in the European Union's recommendation on ICZM. At the local level, linkages were formed between research organisations and coastal management practitioners in local authorities in an attempt to bridge the science-management divide. This special edition contains several papers that deal with different facets of the project's results.     

The potential role of Sustainability Science in coastal zone management

Sustainability Science invokes a co-produced approach to research between researchers and managers, involving a shared participatory, policy-centred process. The COREPOINT project which was developed with the principles of Sustainability Science in mind, provides evidence of the effectiveness and challenges involved in the knowledge transfer process between research centres and local government officials involved in coastal research and management. The Expert Couplet Nodes (ECN) embedded within the project aimed to ensure that a paradigm shift in attitude and behaviour towards traditional science and management practices took place. A comparison of the ECN process in two study sites in Ireland provided an opportunity to review the process and outcomes of the collaborative enquiry arrangements by referring to a suite of Sustainability Science principles developed during the project. In doing so, this paper demonstrates how the ECN approach built capacity for improved coastal management and how Sustainability Science has a key role to play in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). However, weaknesses in the ECN approach also showed that greater innovation from the ICZM community of researchers, policy makers and practitioners is of critical importance to the roll out of Sustainability Science as a societal solution in the transition towards sustainability. This requires capacity building to deal with the complexity of coastal socio-ecological systems.     

Integrated Coastal Zone Management: commitments and developments from an International,European, and United Kingdom perspective

The paper looks at recent developments in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). It considers the influence of global and international instruments on national policies and it takes the United Kingdom as an illustration of contemporary commitments of a European country to ICZM. It further reflects on how recent initiatives may change the perception of the role of coastal sciences and management in decision making. It looks at the entanglement of legal frameworks at various levels, including the role of government departments and agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). NGOs are considered, here, as important agents on the international stage. The availability and the reliability of scientific information are recognised to be the critical factor, which can influence public opinion. In particular, it is shown that there is a great need for ecological interdisciplinary studies, which would provide material for rational action. Despite new policies, it is made clear that concrete actions are still to be taken in order to achieve sustainable development and avoid natural resources destruction or degradation. The need for a holistic approach to ICZM, including education and the dissemination of scientific information, is emphasised.     

Situation of integrated coastal zone management in Central America: Experiences of the IUCN wetlands and coastal zone conservation program

Central American coastal zones possess extensive scenic and geographical wealth as well as great biological diversity. These coasts maintain 21.6% of the region’s population and produce at least US$ 750 million alone in fishing activities that provide work and sustenance for more than 450 000 persons in the region. Eight percent of the world’s mangroves are located in Central America, as well as the second largest corral reef barrier on the planet. A good representation of the region’s natural heritage is conserved in approximately 110 protected areas. Due to these special conditions, at least 50% of Central America’s coastal zones is devoted to tourism, one of the three primary economic activities in four of the region’s countries. Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in this region has been limited by information gaps, restricted technical and financial capacity, and strong sectoralism. Some recent projects, both governmental and supported by NGOs, offer new experience and lessons on regional ICZM. These initiatives have been backed at the ministerial and presidential level by a large number of political agreements within the framework of the ‘alliance for sustainable development’ (ALIDES).     

Visitors' awareness of ICZM and WTP for beach preservation in four European Mediterranean regions

This paper discusses the results of a multi-country survey about private stakeholders' contribution to coastal preservation. It was conducted in four coastal sites of Greece, Italy and France, in order to collect information about beach visitors' perception of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and their willingness to pay (WTP) for beach preservation, intended here as defence from erosion. In order to find out whether ICZM perception is a determinant of WTP, regression analysis is applied. Results show that in these sites respondents have a low level of information about the nature of ICZM, despite local authorities having implemented some ICZM strategies for preserving the coast. Nevertheless, those who are informed about ICZM have a higher probability of paying for beach preservation. This suggests to policymakers that promoting public awareness about ICZM may increase the probability of paying. Finally, some categories of visitors, such as women and young and middle-aged people, have a higher probability of paying than men and older people, thus suggesting a more sensitive attitude to beach preservation. Therefore, policy-makers should also pay attention to the categories of visitors less likely to pay.     

A Coastal and Marine National Park for Scotland in partnership with Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Potential benefits and constraints of a Coastal and Marine National Park (CMNP) for the entire Scottish coastline have yet to be fully debated. This paper recommends using Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) as a process to develop a CMNP. Converting the principles of ICZM into practice could be strengthened using the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000. This Act provides the Scottish Executive with an existing legal mechanism to set up the UK's first CMNP.Issues highlighted that would benefit from further investigation include ways to effectively harness expertise, funding considerations, practical implementation and stakeholder participation. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis demonstrates a ‘quick and dirty’ method to help assess whether CMNPs are a viable option for managing Scotland's coastal areas. Strengthening the existing local coastal fora network in partnership with universities that have ‘in-house’ multi-disciplinary expertise is put forward as one way to implement a CMNP.Stakeholder engagement at the start and throughout the debate on CMNPs warrants a high priority for action. Incentives that help to counter against survey fatigue and actively sustain involvement of civil society and key sectors should be sought from local knowledge. This approach could also address the fundamental gap in translating stakeholder derived information into practical policy recommendations that are more widely supported. Finally, local knowledge can aid resource management plans on a local, national and international scale and be applied to testing management scenarios.     

Interest of quality-based policies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management implementation: Lessons learnt from a French case study

This article shows how quality-based policies can support the effective implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management. It is based upon the analysis of the trial that is currently being conducted by the Marennes Oléron District on the Atlantic coast of France through the implementation of the Oléron Coastal Quality Action Plan. The author emphasizes three main aspects. At first, she exposes the general process that supported the emergence of the ICZM project of this district, highlighting the major role of early public participation, territorial planning and the design of operational action plans. She demonstrates that the implementation of coastal quality action plans can follow the integration building process of the ICZM iterative cycle, and thus support ICZM implementation. Then, she highlights the major role of science/management integration in the implementation of quality-based policies, showing in which way scientists can provide useful knowledge to practitioners at various stages of the decision-making process and contribute both to the development of public participation and success of these policies. At last, the author presents and discusses the lessons learnt from the follow up and analysis of the implementation of this action plan. She emphasizes its strengths and weaknesses by putting it into the perspective of other French ICZM projects, and shows in which way the resolution of the problems faced by stakeholders in it realization contributes to the strengthening of their management capacity. The main benefits of this process for a quality-based policy are outlined.