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Introduction / Introducing ICZM
The unique coast
People have always favoured the coastal zone because of
its unique resources. They were and still are attracted
by the fertile lands in the coastal plains and abundant
marine resources, and by the easy access to international
markets. The coastal zone is a focal point in many national
economies where a large number of social and economic
activities and their impacts are concentrated. The importance
of the coastal area will further increase in the future
due to the ever increasing number of people which should
find a place here.
The coastal zone is essentially a multi resource system.
It provides space, living and non-living resources
for human activities and it has a regulatory function
for the natural and man-made environment. At the same
time the coastal zone is a multi-user system. Private
and public bodies use the natural resources for subsistence
(water and food), economic activities (space, living
and non-living resources, energy) and recreation (beaches
and water areas).
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Raising awareness
Industrialization, commercial development and steadily
growing population pressure in many places have resulted
in an increase of erosion and flooding, loss of wetlands,
pollution, and over-exploitation of land and water resources
in the coastal zone.
Growing awareness about the finiteness of resources,
about environmental degradation and consequent problems
to mankind, has triggered numerous studies to provide
a long term solution of the resources problem. Such
studies are based on the concept of carrying capacity
in terms of guidelines for socio-economic activities
to achieve long term conservation of vital elements
and areas of the environmental system.
In 1972, the report of the Club of Rome addressed these
problems for the first time in a systematic and consistent
way, resulting in the well known book 'The limits to
growth' (Donnela72),
and later "Beyond the Limits (Donnela92).
The political response to this challenge was formulated
in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development
in the so-called Brundtland report 'Our Common Future'
(WCED, 1987). They introduced the concept of sustainable
development, as a means to guarantee acceptable living
conditions for the present as well as for future generations.
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Consensus about the future
It is now widely accepted that development of the coastal
zone should be based upon a proper understanding of the
processes in the coastal zone, supported by a sound engineering
technology and socio-economic skills to obtain an acceptable
balance between short term benefits and long term assets.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a controlled development
of this area. Conflicts between the various user categories
are becoming more and more manifest. These conflicts
will grow in scope and size with increasing population
density and related increase in the use of the earth's
resources. There is a need for a common methodology which
can be used to describe the complex interactions between
the resource system and its potential users. There is
a need, therefore, to plan and control this process in
a systematic and sustainable way. This process is called
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). |
Based on these developments, Europe, with its relatively
long coastline and diverse natural, social and economic
conditions, started to work on ICZM in 1996. The European
Commission defines ICZM as
“a continuous process of administration the general
aim of which is to put into practice sustainable development
and conservation in coastal zones and to maintain their
biodiversity. To this end, ICZM seeks, through more
efficient management, to establish and maintain the
best use and sustainable levels of development and activity
(use) in the coastal zone, and, over time, to improve
the physical status of the coastal environment”.
The views on ICZM in the USA and Europe differ. In
the USA, ICZM is focussed on planning - in Europe on
the integration of user functions. (Read
more on this)
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Exercise
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Outline
The questions we address, and where you will find our
answers are:
Finally, In the conclusion section a comprehensive scheme
is presented which contains the elements discussed. At
the end, you will find a list of information sources and
a glossary of the terms used. |
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