The ICZM Process - a Roadmap towards Coastal Sustainability - Introduction

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Introduction  


Establishment  


Analysis and Futures  


Setting the Vision  


Designing the Future  


Realising the Vision  


 


Welcome to the ICZM Process

The primary target audience for this ICZM Process are the practitioners and partnerships tasked with the production of plans, strategies or ICZM programmes for coastal areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It is also intended that the ICZM Process will also contribute to the wider global discussion on the sustainable development of coastal zones.
ICZM Process diagram/EstablishmentICZM Process diagram/Setting the visionICZM Process diagram/Analysis and FutureICZM Process diagram/Designing the FutureICZM Process diagram/Realizing the VisionICZM Process Diagram Summary 9 Nov 11.jpg
About this image
ICZM in the Mediterranean is now driven by a unique and groundbreaking international legal instrument - the Protocol to the Barcelona Convention on Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
The 'ICZM Protocol' was developed to provide a common framework for the Contracting Parties - the 21 Mediterranean states and the EU - to promote and implement ICZM in the Mediterranean. The Protocol entered into force the 24th of March 2011. The ratification in 2011 of the Protocol means that the Protocol now becomes part of EU law and has binding effects.

The design of the ICZM Process to implement the ICZM Protocol is being coordinated by Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC). in Split, Croatia, and is based on over 30 years of practical ICZM experience in the Mediterranen. PAP/RAC is a component organisation of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union make up the MAP. PAP/RAC has built up a global reputation for its expertise in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).

In designing the process, PAP/RAC is working closely with the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and UNESCO-IHP partners in the framework of the GEF funded Strategic Partnership in the Mediterranean Large Marine Ecosystem "MedPartnership" to ensure effective integration with river catchment and water basin management.

Structure of the ICZM Process

The ICZM Process is intended for guidance - the 'how' of implementing the ICZM Protocol – adaption to individual local circumstances will dictate changes to this process within the overall framework. The Process is structured into 5 sections representing the key stages of the ICZM Process represented on the diagram. Just click on the "Establishment" tab above or the "Establishment" box of the diagram to start your journey.

Each stage is summarised into:

• Description of the stage • Overall aim • Likely outputs

Each stage will be continuously developed with a more detailed breakdown of the individual tasks, including:

• Tools & techniques • Integrative issues • Integrating climate change • Outputs of the detailed tasks • Examples

The ICZM Process - towards coastal sustainability

The ICZM Process is designed to deliver the "Four Orders of Outcome for ICZM". Olsen, S.B. (2003): Frameworks and indicators for assessing progress in integrated coastal management initiatives. Ocean & Coastal Management 46, 347-361.

Four Orders of Outcome for ICZM

The Four Orders of Outcome provide a roadmap towards sustainable development and uderpin the approach to ICZM in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

The First Order creates an enabling framework - creating the preconditions required to successfully implement the ICZM strategy, plan or programme.

The Second Order analyses changes in behaviour that occur during implementation: changes in the behaviour of target user groups, changes in the behaviour of key institutions, and changes in how and where financial investments are made.

The Third Order measures practical results and benefits. These Third Order Outcomes, e.g., improved water quality, justify financial investments and motivates the stakeholders and institutions to make the changes in their behaviour that sustained success requires.

The Fourth Order looks at the appropriate balance between environment and human society – that elusive ambition of the sustainable development of coastal zones.

A Sustainable Coast...

'Sustainability' is a much used, but rarely defined term. In the case of the Mediterranean, a sustainable coast is one that is:

- Resilient - resilient to future uncertainties of climate change, including rising sea levels, warming and drought; resilient to extreme storms, earthquakes and erosion; resilient to human processes, including the pressure of tourism and urban development on the coast.

- Productive - productive financially in traditional, modern and future economic sectors; supporting the economic aspirations of the coastal community; providing a competitive asset to the local economy, high in natural and economic values - increasing GDP and alleviating poverty.

- Diverse - ecologically diverse: a rich mosaic of marine and terrestrial ecosystems; diverse rural and urban landscapes, old and new; a diverse economy - providing a diverse, but distinctly Mediterranean experience.

- Distinctive - retaining the cultural distinctiveness of coastal areas, including their architecture, customs and landscapes, recognising the Mediterranean as the “cradle of civilisation” - providing a distinctive marketing image on which to attract investment.

- Attractive - retaining the attractiveness of the coast, not only to visitors, but also to investors and local people to promote a self-sustaining cycle of sustainable growth.

- Healthy - free from pollution from land and marine-based sources, clean fresh and marine waters and the air - providing a healthy environment for people, natural resources such as fisheries, and wildlife.

Expert view - "...keep it simple"

Brian Shipman

"Coastal issues are complex, but your strategy, your plan or your programme should not be. Just remember that ICZM is as much a social as a technical process, and resources will always be limited. So here are a few practical tips to smooth your way:

Keep it simple and fit for purpose - don’t over complicate

Where possible, work with what you have, commission new work/research and data collection only where absolutely required

• The Process should be adaptive to local circumstances and resources

• Communication is the key – enabling stakeholders to visualise the problems, potential futures, and to find solutions

• No ICZM process should be strictly linear; all stages are iterative and will overlap depending on individual workplans

• There is no substitute for full stakeholder participation.

And finally - I have paraphrased a quotation by our colleagues in the Global Water Partnership (GWP) - the ICZM Process is designed not just to produce a plan or a strategy for a coastal area. In the end ICZM’s success or failure depends on its ability to catalyse change. This is what matters - not the specific process, nor the form of a strategy or plan document, but whether or not it results in positive action.'

Brian Shipman PAP/RAC