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Presentation
 
Why is the cosastal zone so important?
What is ICZM how did the concept emerge?
 
 
 

The ICZM : A necessary tool for achieving sustainability in the coastal zone, based on scientific knowledge. 
 
- Integrated Coastal Area Management.
- The challenge: Sustainability and ICAM in the Balearic Islands.
- International context of ICAM.
-Integrated Coastal Area Management.

Integrated Coastal Area Management. ICAM, according to one of the most generally accepted definitions, is (a) a continuous process to reach coastal sustainability, (b) a process that should start from scientific discoveries from recent years, and (c) a process demanding close collaboration between distinct parties and public and private institutions with responsibility and interest in the coast.

Understanding the effects of global change and the complexity of the coastal zone require a solid base in research. Science should play an important role in developing new forms of coastal management that based on viable information.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a dynamic, multidisciplinary process that supports sustainable development in the coastal zone, defi ned as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”(Brundtland Report 1987)

QUE ES Y COMO NACE...


ICZM seeks to develop a new model for development that is based on fi nding points of equilibrium among governance, economic needs, quality of life and preservation of natural resources. If properly implemented, it is the most effective tool to advance towards sustainability in the coastal zone, ensuring equitable use of coastal resources (natural, socioeconomic, and cultural) and integration among the different administrative sectors and sectors of society.

 

 

- The challenge: Sustainability and ICAM in the Balearic Islands.

The challenge: Sustainability and ICAM in the Balearic Islands. The Balearic coast (both land and water) is the main resource for the development of the islands’ economic activity, and a unique element related to the quality of life of the islands’ inhabitants. So, we must understand that the present and future success and the quality of the environment and natural heritage are linked, if we are to guarantee the real sustainability that is demanded more and more both by society (thinking about the wellbeing of future generations) and tourism (wishing for a protected environment and respect for natural heritage. ‘Enjoy it and help us to keep it this way’ could well be a new quality hallmark for the islands’ coastline.

- International context of ICAM.

International context of ICAM. In the past ten years there have been various international initiatives related to the need to adapt coastal management systems to scientific discoveries and the global framework of sustainability. For example, Recommendation 2002/413/CE from the European Parliament and Council on ‘Application of Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) in Europe’, 30th May 2002, established, amongst other principles, the need to carry out ‘a modulated management gradually allowing adaptation as problems arise and knowledge evolves. This demands a solid scientific basis relating to the evolution of coastal areas’. This recommendation has the aim of encouraging member states to establish a national inventory in 2006, bringing together all of the necessary information applying to the creation of a national strategy or strategies to promote Integrated Coastal Area Management. In the US context, it is important to mention the initiative Committee on Oceans and the Coast, a committee created in 1998 which gave rise to a specific legislative development and highly important scientific and coordination initiatives, starting from clear, agreed and previously defined principles of sustainability and coastal management based on ecosystems. Another interesting example is the recent proposal ‘Protocol for ICAM in Mediterranean Coastal Areas’ (UNEP, Mediterranean Action Plan, 21st June 2005), debated in 2006 and which should be ratified by the countries bordering the Mediterranean and will adopt firm and important commitments leading to a true ICAM. An ICAM will allow us, objectively and scientifically, to identify points of equilibrium between the three pillars defining sustainable development: the environment, the economy and society. In this international framework the Balearic Islands are in an ideal situation since they have R&D abilities, there is the demand for sustainability from society as well as public administration’s ability to respond and move towards a knowledge-based management of the coastline.