Towards a stronger collaboration among Latin American countries to enhance Coastal Zone Management (original) (raw)
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Integrated Coastal Management in Latin America: the ever New World
Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada, 2014
The advancement of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in Latin American countries may vary from established programs to experimental phase implementation and even inexistence. This creates an opportunity for the development of new ideas and experiments, especially in the quite long stretches of littoral where no occupation has yet been planned or consolidated. However there are localized issues that need to be attended with certain degree of urgency, especially in coastal settings that have been urbanized, developed for industry and/or are situated around port facilities. Spain and Portugal implemented the marine and environmental policies of European Union and may be seen as models for public and private ICZM initiatives. These situations created opportunities and needs that are somehow reflected in dedicated scientific production, as well as in social impact and the related capacity building programs. We surveyed some key costal management journals to know how Latin American based academics are doing in their mission of creating, developing and discussing ICZM along our diverse shores stretching along all climatic zones. Capacity building programs and exchange networks were also scrutinized. Results suggest that the thematic participation in the major publication channels is modest and needs to improve in number and diversity of subjects bringing obvious benefits to the policy and decision makers. Capacity building programs are still in its infancy across the region. There are no, or very few, specialized educational programs to form practitioners and scientists at all academic levels. Training programs integrating countries around all aspects of ICZM are even scarcer. Coordinated actions, such as networks across the political borders are one of the many future needs we point out here as being the next frontier for thinkers and managers in the region.
Perspectives on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in South America
From a human history perspective, the intrinsic characteristics of estuaries have made them preferable sites of occupation and, consequently, intense areas of development. A direct consequence of human occupation of these coastal areas is that estuaries rank among the environments most affected by human presence and activities. The fast expansion of socio-economic activities on coastal and estuarine areas over the last decades, such as tourism, nature conservation, coastal fisheries and industrial and urban development has expanded and complicated the management tasks. In recent years, there has been a growing concern to maintain a steady growth in economical activities and social development in estuarine areas, while preserving their natural features and ecological services. Given the acceptance by governments of the goal of sustainable development, a more sustainable coastal management strategy requires a more interdisciplinary and integrated management process. There are no easy answers to the question of what is best for a particular system from a resource’s management point of view. It is the task of scientists from different disciplines to present as complete a picture as possible to those who make decisions. The ECOMANAGE (Integrated Ecological Coastal Zone Management System) project described here, funded by the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme (Contract nº INCO-CT-2004-003715), aims to provide coastal authorities with the knowledge and tools for such an integrated management approach. The common goal was to work towards a social and environmental sustainable estuarine system management in three distinct transitional waters systems in South America: Santos Estuary in Brazil, Bahía Blanca Estuary in Argentina and Fjord Aysén in Chile. Besides their geographical location, these coastal systems cover a wide spectrum of management challenges because they vary significantly in their ecological state and human pressures, in a gradient that goes from a more pristine state of Fjord Aysén, to the heavily occupied and degraded system in Santos Estuary. The South American continent is endowed with a unique and valuable marine heritage, which enclose several of the world’s largest and most productive estuaries. The accelerated development in most Latin American countries is posing demanding challenges in the management of natural resources, especially in coastal areas. Integrated coastal management approaches are required, combining all aspects of the human, physical and biological aspects of the coastal zone within a single management framework. Integrated coastal management is presented here as a broad, multi-purpose endeavor aimed at improving the quality of life of communities dependent on estuarine resources and helping local decision maker attaining sustainable development of estuarine areas, from the headwaters of coastal watersheds to the outer marine areas. The work presented in this volume is a step in that direction. Hopefully, the knowledge, experience, tools and results presented here will be used in other places with similar conflicting uses of natural resources. Interdisciplinary and integration was the major thrust of ECOMANAGE. The project was originally assembled from scientifically promising and socially relevant research fields, with physical modelling and eutrophication as the core. The social sciences, human ecology and management oriented subjects were included to provide the project with the integrative principle. The work developed during the project formed the knowledge pool for this book. The volume is a collection of writings selected on the basis of novelty, relevance in a water resource management framework, and insightfulness. Contributions have also been included in order to survey the strengths and limitations of a range of existing coastal zone management practices operating in different local environmental and socio-economic contexts. The core message that is highlighted is that the management challenges posed are complex and multifaceted, encompassing physical forcing, natural hazard and variability and vulnerability, together with socio-cultural vulnerability problems. Being the result of a multidisciplinary scientific endeavor, the book will have an audience that range across a wide spectrum of environmental and social disciplines. The book should be of interest for anyone working in the field of ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management), from scientists to decision makers. Dealing with examples from South America, the book has a strong local interest. However, the kind of approach developed in the project and portrayed in the book enables this work to be used as a benchmark for scientists working worldwide in related areas or facing the same challenges. The book addresses costal zone management in an integrative way, with particular focus on water resources. As such, we hope it will be of interest for scientists working in fields such as aquatic ecology, ecohydrology, ground water, marine sciences in general, water quality, coastal zone management, etc. In addition, the strong component of the modelling approach will target the modelling community, from ecosystem to ground water modelers.
The Coasts of Latin America at the End of the Century
2001
A new management model is needed for the Latin American coastal zone and its resources. During the nineties, some very interesting management initiatives were implemented. Nevertheless, in general terms, coastal management is relatively backward in comparison with other regions of the world. There are also very different levels of coastal management within the various Latin American countries themselves. In spite of these differences, the cultural homogeneity of the area could serve to facilitate international cooperation for more integrated management. Such an initiative would not only help to find a specific Latin American management model, but would also contribute to improving the levels of technical training, scientificknowledge,exchange ofexperiences and South-South cooperation. Also, the effectiveness of the initiatives carried out by countries with more highly developed systems of coastal management could be reduced if the surrounding States do not undertake similar initiatives.
The Strategy for Coastal Sustainability: A Spanish Initiative for ICZM
Coastal …, 2010
The Spanish Strategy for Coastal Sustainability (SCS) was an initiative aimed at implementing coastal interventions under the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and improving the state of the coast at the Spanish national level. The SCS, promoted by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, started as a broad national strategy in 2005 and was finally delivered as a coastal planning instrument at the regional level in late 2007, designed to address coastal policies within the Spanish maritime-terrestrial public domain (MTPD). The initiative was triggered by the increasing pressure on the coastal zone and its preparation was supported by different European initiatives, first of all the European Recommendation on ICZM (413/2002/EC), while taking into consideration the future requirements of the Mediterranean Protocol on ICZM of the Barcelona Convention, signed in February 2008. Technically, the preparation of the SCS included four steps: (i) a Stakeholder Identification and Engagement process, including a stocktaking of the laws and regulations, (ii) the design of a broad Strategic Framework for the Spanish coastal zone, including a set of specific objectives and the instruments for its implementation, (iii) the signature of cooperation agreements for ICZM between the central government and the regions and (iv) a detailed Technical Diagnosis at the local scale, designed to address future coastal interventions in the maritime-terrestrial public domain and its areas of influence.
2 3 Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM): a review of progress in Portuguese implementation
Coastal areas are the focus of intensive urbanisation and tourism and are subject to changing physical processes causing significant natural environment modifications. It is in this context that the European Commission (EC) developed the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Recommendation and invited coastal Member States to produce national implementation strategies. Its general aim of sustainable coastal development was based on policy integration in cooperation with all stakeholders in an informed and participatory context. Portugal responded to the EC request by creating, approving, and adopting the national ICZM strategy. This paper focuses on Portuguese experiences putting the ICZM recommendation into practice and begins with a brief overview of community guidelines, national legislation, and implementation. Subsequently, governance mechanisms are discussed and best practice identified. From an assessment of Portuguese ICZM progress and lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations for improved effectiveness included: strengthening governance; improving sustainable decisionmaking processes supported by technical and scientific knowledge; and securing financial sustainability.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM): a review of progress in Portuguese implementation
Regional Environmental Change, 2013
Coastal areas are the focus of intensive urbanisation and tourism and are subject to changing physical processes causing significant natural environment modifications. It is in this context that the European Commission (EC) developed the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Recommendation and invited coastal Member States to produce national implementation strategies. Its general aim of sustainable coastal development was based on policy integration in cooperation with all stakeholders in an informed and participatory context. Portugal responded to the EC request by creating, approving, and adopting the national ICZM strategy. This paper focuses on Portuguese experiences putting the ICZM recommendation into practice and begins with a brief overview of community guidelines, national legislation, and implementation. Subsequently, governance mechanisms are discussed and best practice identified. From an assessment of Portuguese ICZM progress and lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations for improved effectiveness included: strengthening governance; improving sustainable decisionmaking processes supported by technical and scientific knowledge; and securing financial sustainability.
1998
December 1998- N ENV-129This paper presents the background research that supported the development of the Bank’s formal strategy on this topic. The strategy for coastal and marine resources management (GN-1906-2) was favorably considered by the Bank’s Board of Directors on June 17, 1998 and is being published concurrently with this report (SDS publication No. ENV-129). This document was prepared by Michele H. Lemay, Environment Division, Sustainable Development Department. The author wishes to acknowledge the guidance of W. Arensberg and
Evaluation of a programme of integrated coastal zone management: The Ecoplata Programme (Uruguay)
Marine Policy, 2015
There are two aims in this work: one is to contribute to the promotion of one of the most interesting experiments of integrated coastal zone management which has taken place in Latin America: the Ecoplata Programme in Uruguay. The other is to make an evaluation of the planning and implementation of said programme, i.e. that of a long-term Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) process which is full of both challenges and opportunities. Indeed, although there have been numerous ICZM experiments, on varying scales, which have been put into practice throughout the world in the last two decades, very few of them have involved an evaluation to check their levels of achievement.