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Coastal Zone Policy
Report on the Progress of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Demonstration Programme (COM(97)744 final) -- adopted 12/1/98
Summary
The Communication presents the status of the Commission’s Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, as requested by the Council in response to COM(95) 511.
The initial phase of this programme has now been completed: 35 active demonstration projects have been launched, as well as 6 thematic analyses on the topics believed to be the keys to successful integrated coastal zones management. The management structures have also been put in place and coordination between the various projects started.
Over the next year, the Programme will assemble the conclusions from these activities to form the basis for a broad debate on the actions required at the local, regional, national and Community levels. The recommendations resulting from the debate will be presented as a Communication from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament by the end of 1999. The first visits to the projects by the Commission as well as the coordination meetings already held have provided initial impressions .
This interim report presents :
- the initial phase of the demonstration programme
- the preliminary observations about the projects
- the working programme for 1998 and 1999.
CONTENTS
A. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
B. GENERAL METHODOLOGY
A. PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
B. PROJECTS
- Selection and technical monitoring of projects
- Timing
- Coordination
- Financing of the projects
- Horizontal thematic analysis
C. OTHER INPUTS IN THE PROGRAMME
- Interreg IIC contribution
- Scientific inputs
D. INFORMATION DIFFUSION
IV. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROGRAMME
- The diversity of experiences and situations represented in the pilot projects has provided some preliminary indications of the complex set of conditions amenable to successful ICZM.
- Diversity of approaches to ICZM
- Diversity of issues
- Importance of motive / motivation (environment not only stimulus) to undertake ICZM
- Mechanisms for involving the private sector
- Building mutual trust between actors
- Needs for a common language of IM in CZ
- Key issue is the mechanisms for interaction between administrative / sectorial layers
- Capacity building
V. PROGRAMME OF WORK 1998 - 1999
A. MONITORING OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS
B. THEMATIC ANALYSES
C. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND SUPPORT
D. EVALUATION OF RESULTS
E. DEBATE AND BROAD DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
ANNEX I -- LIST OF PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE ICZM DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME
ANNEX II -- MAP OF PROJECTS
ANNEX III -- WORK PLANNING FOR 1998 AND 1999
In COM (95) 511, the Commission announced the launching of a demonstration programme on the integrated management of coastal zones. In view of the importance of these zones and the difficulties inherent in their sustainable management, the Commission’s communication was well received by both the European Parliament and the Council, as well as by the Economic and Social Committee and by the Council of the Regions. In the Conclusions of its meeting of 18 December, 1995, the Council called for the prompt implementation of the demonstration programme. It also invited the Commission to inform it of the progress of the programme 18 months after its launching.
This report is intended to describe the progress of the Demonstration Programme in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), over the last 18 months as requested, namely from its commencement in mid-1996 to the present. It reviews the activities undertaken during this preliminary initiation phase, presents some preliminary observations on the progress of the programme to date, and outlines the work to be achieved during the operational phase of the programme resulting in preparation of a final report by the end of 1999.
A. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
In Communication COM (95) 511 a review of the problems facing the coastal zones, including demographic pressures was presented; the reduction of biodiversity, pollution of water resources and impoverishment of landscapes; competition for space and resources; and the complexity of relationships between human activities and the coastal environment. The administrative and legal complexity of existing coastal zone management structures was also identified.
Communication COM(95)511 proposed that a demonstration programme could contribute to addressing these problems in two ways :
- providing concrete technical information about the factors and mechanisms which either encourage or discourage sustainable management of coastal zones. By judicious selection of the projects to be included in the programme, these factors can be evaluated in a wide range of physical, cultural and socio-economic conditions.
- stimulating a broad debate and exchange of information among the various actors involved in the planning and implementation of coastal zone management, including those at the local, regional, national and Community levels. This debate should include both a discussion of the technical issues involved, and of the relative responsibilities of the various parties.
The added-value of this exercise lies in the combination of debate and concrete analysis that should lead to a consensus regarding the appropriate measures to be taken at the Community and other levels of competence in order to stimulate an integrated management of Community coastal zones leading to a sustainable management of the coastal zones.
B. GENERAL METHODOLOGY
The ICZM demonstration programme was conceived as a joint activity between the relevant DGs, in particular DG XI (Environment), DG XIV (Fisheries) and DG XVI (Regional Policy and Cohesion), with the support of DG XII (Research), JRC (Joint Research Centre) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). This collaborative arrangement ensures that the issues of coastal zone management will be evaluated from a truly integrated viewpoint. The programme will also benefit from wide consultation at all phases with experts from the Member States.
The core of the programme is a set of demonstration projects (see section III B), jointly financed by the Member States and existing Community instruments. Each of these projects involves an innovative approach to addressing one or more problem in coastal zone management. In general, the projects are being undertaken by local actors, but with the collaboration of regional or national players. The projects will all follow a methodology of: description, analysis, planning and implementation, iterating the steps as necessary. The results and experiences of these projects will serve to draw conclusions about the necessary conditions for realizing integrated coastal zone management.
The projects will be particularly evaluated in cross-cutting 6 thematic studies (see section III B) to investigate the importance of the factors that are hypothesised to be critical to ensuring the sustainable management of coastal zones. These factors are:
Scientific support from the Commission’s research activities and from the European Environment Agency’s Marine and Coastal Topic Centre, will complement the demonstration projects and the thematic analyses (see section III C).
In October or November of 1998, at an INTERREG conference in Göteborg, a widespread debate and discussion will be launched based on the conclusions, results and observations compiled during the demonstration programme (including from the demonstration project, thematic analyses, research activities, and other sources). This debate is aimed at arriving at a consensus about the appropriate follow-up to the programme, at the Community and other administrative levels.
COM (95) 511 envisaged the following timetable for the ICZM demonstration programme :
Programme launch and project selection -- 6 months
Implementation of the programme -- 2 years
Analysis of the lessons learned and identification of follow-up actions -- 6 months.
The Demonstration Programme has now completed its first, inception phase and is now fully operational. The implementation phase will continue over the next 18 months, and the final report on the programme will be ready by the end of 1999.
A. PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
The programme is organized and operated based on a philosophy of collaboration and communication between the many players involved, including the project leaders (mostly local actors), national experts, the Commission and the general public.
Although DG XI is responsible for the coordination, from its inception, the programme has been managed following a philosophy of cooperation and coordination among all participants in the programme, both within and external to the Commission. To ensure the participation of external actors even in the early stages of the programme, a Project Leader Group (PLG) and the National Expert Group (NEG) were established, each of which has already held two meetings.
National Expert Group (NEG)
The NEG includes experts nominated by the 13 coastal Member States, two representatives of the socio-economic partners, two coastal zone experts from regional and local administrations, and two experts from NGOs. This group meets twice a year to provide technical advice and support to the management of the programme. The members of the NEG also form the direct link between the programme and the administrations and socio-economic partners in the member states; as such they play an important role in diffusing information about the programme to all parties interested in the evolution of the coastal zones and providing feedback. The NEG will play an important role in the final phase of the programme, in stimulating the broad debate on the preliminary conclusions of the programme.
Project Leader Group (PLG)
The main function of the Project Leader Group (PLG) is to help the Commission to ensure a coherent execution of the programme. Consisting of the leaders of the individual demonstration projects, this group is composed mostly of technical specialists from local and regional administrations. The PLG needs to ensure that the content of each project is well known by all of the participants and that (1) the specific contribution of each project to the overall output and (2) the links between projects (and outputs), are understood. The PLG is also required to assist in developing a common understanding of the concepts underlying ICZM and to facilitate the overall co-ordination of the programme operations.
To this end, the project leaders are required to attend meetings, interact with the specialists undertaking the Thematic Analyses (see section III B) and facilitate visits to the projects by the Thematic experts and Commission staff. The project leaders are also called upon to participate in the discussion and interpretation of results of the programme, bearing in mind its overall objectives.
Both the PLG and the NEG groups have management, guidance and advisory functions and are expected to contribute to the overall programme in a proactive way. It should be noted that between the two groups, all the different administrative levels of the responsibility are well represented and working together. The ultimate debate on the future actions required to ensure sustainable ICZM in Member States will be focused on the deliberations of these groups informed by their collective experience as well as by the outputs and conclusions drawn from the demonstration projects, the thematic analysis, external sourcing and the scientific contributions.
Inter-Service Collaboration in the Programme Management Unit
The Programme Management Unit is comprised of representatives from the participating DGs (XI, XVI, XIV and XII) and the Technical Consultant who is assisting DG XI; it has been operational since September 1996. The functions of the Programme Management Unit are to implement the Demonstration Programme and in doing so to coordinate the various components, orchestrating the debate which will yield the basis for a Community Strategy for Integrated Management in Coastal Zones.
In addition to regular communication between, and the full participation of the DGs comprising the Programme Management Unit, a discussion of the status of the ICZM demonstration programme is normally on the agenda of the DG XVI-coordinated Inter-Service Group on Spatial Planning, in which numerous other DGs participate.
B. PROJECTS
SELECTION AND TECHNICAL MONITORING OF PROJECTS
Information and experiences from 35 pilot projects form the core of the programme.
The demonstration projects are a key component of the programme; they are, in effect, its raw material. A central task of the Commission's management and technical unit with respect to the demonstration projects is to extract the maximum experience and lessons from the past experience of the project teams and from their experience and achievements during the execution of the projects themselves.
Due to the variety of instruments used to finance these projects, there was a certain heterogeneity in the selection process and in the content of the projects. Nevertheless the projects that have been included in the programme were all selected according to two main criteria:
- Potential contribution of the project towards evaluation of the 6 key factors believed to influence the success of integrated coastal zone management.
- Representation of the full range of physical, socio-economic and cultural conditions in the Community coastal zones.
Originally it was envisaged that the programme would employ only some 12 or 15 demonstration projects as its base. The increase in number of projects (35) was due largely to the need to ensure that the selected projects really covered the full range of issues and conditions needed to evaluate ICZM in Member States. As a result, overall the selected projects now give a good geographical, administrative and topical spread. (Annex II contains a map of the distribution of the projects). The 35 projects listed in Annex I were incorporated into the demonstration programme. Of these projects:
- 14 are being co-funding under the LIFE 1996 and 1997 financial instrument,
- 18 are supported with contributions from the TERRA programme,
- 2 are funded under the PHARE programme (with additional finance from the World Bank), and
- 1 project is being financed by the government of Norway.
A full description of these projects and their specific objectives is contained in the information brochure recently published by the Commission.
Timing
It was anticipated that the programme launch and project selection should be completed by the end of 1996. Due to the larger number of projects than initially foreseen and to delays in the selection and financing procedures involved, this step took somewhat longer than anticipated. All of the projects have now, however, been launched and many are beginning to show preliminary results.
The LIFE 1996 projects, the Norwegian project, and the PHARE projects were launched in late 1996, and the LIFE 1997 projects a year later. The TERRA projects have only recently started officially, however in many cases, some of the preparatory coordination and administrative work had already been undertaken allowing them to move quickly into the implementation phase.
Most projects will thus have completed the descriptive phase of their work by the end 1997.
Coordination
The projects are being encouraged to follow similar steps in providing a description of the site and of the measures being implemented, as well as an analysis of:
- the origin of the current environmental problems;
- the environmental pressures on the site - based on indicators;
- the effect of the environmental measures in force and planned;
- a strategic evaluation of the development measures decided or planned;
- effects of socio-economic development and on the natural environment;
- analysis of the consistency between the measures taken or under consideration in the various sectors and at the various levels;
- evaluation of the management options, including economic evaluations;
- syntheses of information produced to permit concertation.
While not all of the projects are designed specifically to address all six themes, the projects are being encouraged to orientate their work in these directions. In all cases, the projects are advised to make adjustments as necessary in the concertation process to ensure that the full range of the relevant actors are involved.
Coordination and exchange of information between the projects is being assured through regular visits of the projects by the Commission and its consultant (by the end of December 1997, two-thirds of the projects will have been visited with visits to the remaining projects scheduled for the first 6 weeks of 1998) and by meetings of the project leaders. To date there have been two such meetings. The first meeting (Feb. 1997) enabled the leaders to meet one other and develop a common understanding of the objectives and goals of the programme, as well as to exchange technical information. The second meeting (September 1997) focussed on the implementation of the thematic analyses.
Financing of the projects
The innovative character of the financing of this initiative, including various Community financing sources, is combined with the cofinancing of projects by actors in the Member States.
Communication COM95(511) underlined that one of the new aspects of the Demonstration programme would be the approach used in order to set up the programme. It stated "The concerted use of various financing sources to support an objective common to several Community policies...".
Here, we can point to a first success. The various sources of Community finance used to establish the Demonstration Programme include :
- Financing of LIFE projects : 5.27 MECU (DG XI)
- Financing of TERRA projects: 6.67 MECU(DG XVI)
- Financing of PHARE projects: 1 MECU (DG IA)
It should be noted that the Community funding for the LIFE, TERRA and PHARE projects is in all cases only a partial financing of the projects, with the balance of the budget supplied by the Member States or local actors, indicating the widespread support for, and participation in, the Programme. The present efforts of the Commission on the control and monitoring of spending E.U. money in the framework of SEM 2000 procedures can only enhance the positive effects of those projects.
In order to focus the evaluation of the pilot projects on the six themes that were hypothesized to be of primary importance in successful ICZM, a series of study contracts have been launched with the following titles :
a. Legal and Regulatory Bodies: Appropriateness to ICZM.
b. Participation in the ICZM Processes: Mechanisms and Procedures Needed.
c. The Role and Use of Technology in Relation to ICZM.
d. Planning and Management Processes: Sectoral and Territorial Co-operation.
e. Influence of EU Policies on the Evolution of Coastal Zones.
f. The Nature of the Information Required for ICZM
The purpose of these thematic analysis is to ensure optimal exploitation of the diversity of expertise already available with the demonstration projects. The experts selected or in the process of being selected to conduct these studies have extensive background in their specific themes. They therefore bring to the ICZM demonstration programme a wealth of knowledge and experience.
From this background, they are required to examine the most illustrative demonstration projects for each theme and draw conclusions about their specific themes: its actual importance in the context of ICZM in the Community, and some guidelines regarding appropriate ICZM strategy -- an overview of what is likely to best promote successful ICZM. Their studies will include field visits and discussion with the project teams of the most relevant demonstration projects. The results of their studies should provide recommendations about the proper balance between these thematic issues in designing proposals for further action at the Community level.
The thematic experts will need to work closely with the project leaders, visiting those sites most pertinent to the specific theme. The six experts will also need to coordinate among themselves for both practical reasons and to ensure that the studies complement rather than overlap one another.
The selected experts have started their work in late 1997, including holding preliminary discussions with the project leaders. It is expected that the final reports will be available at the end of 1998. The drafts of these final reports will already be used to launch the general discussion of the results of the programme, beginning in November 1998.
C. Other inputs in the programme
INTERREG IIC CONTRIBUTION
The INTERREG IIC Community initiative programme managed by DG XVI, an instrument for transnational cooperation in the field of regional planning is also making a contribution to the ICZM demonstration programme. One of the eligible measures for this programme is "actions to improve the territorial management of marine areas at the periphery of the Union, and to develop coastal areas, for the point of view both of economic development and environmental protection and improvement". Some transnational operational programmes submitted under INTERREG IIC are expected to include this measure. In others, such as the Central and Eastern Mediterranean actions, ICZM is an inherent key to the overall proposal.
Due to their scale and breadth of content, the INTERREG IIC actions are not being considered as ICZM demonstration projects per se. However, as they evolve the relevant sub-actions are being considered in the context of the ICZM demonstration programme. The INTERREG IIC actions are also providing a context for grouping and comparing the ICZM demonstration projects, and are expected to provide a forum for discussion of the conclusions of the ICZM demonstration programme, in its final phase.
SCIENTIFIC INPUTS
The contribution of the Scientific Community to the programme i.e. from current EU Scientific Institutions and Programmes and from external sources is considered an important component of the Demonstration Programme. The overall aim is to combine in one programme the interests and contributions of several Directorates General and other sources of relevant information.
The key elements of the inputs from the various contributors include :
The European Environmental Agency - Topic Centre on Marine & Coastal Environment.
The Topic Centre will develop several activities closely related to the programme such as :
- Inter-regional Forum for exchange of data;
- Promotion & compilation of high quality data set;
- Identification of common & major threats;
- Development of indicators of coastal characteristics at Community level;
- Improving procedures for analysis & reporting on data treatment;
- Database & report on state of Community coastal zone.
Directorate General for Science, Research and Development (DG XII)
The IVth Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development includes substantial elements of interest to the Demonstration Programme on Integrated Management of Coastal Zones, in particular in the Environment and Climate and the MAST Programmes. These two programmes address a whole range of scientific issues in order to provide the basic and applied knowledge necessary to implement sustainable development policies. In this context, a number of projects dealing specifically with coastal zones management issues are coordinated under the ELOISE umbrella (European Land Ocean Interactions Studies). They address topics relating to biological and ecological processes in and human impacts on coastal ecosystems, as well as the socio-economic development in coastal zones. Exchanges of knowledge between ELOISE researchers and the Project Leaders will accompany the second half of the Demonstration Programme, in the perspective of the preparation of the implementation of the Vth RTD Framework Programme. Other projects of relevance to coastal zone management are dealing with physical coastal oceanographic process (such as currents, waves, sedimentation) and coastal engineering.
Joint Research Centre - Space Application Institute.
The overall responsability of the Joint Research Centre will be :
- To collect information for the European Environment Agency;
- To enhance use of earth observation data;
- To foster co-operation of partners involved in ICZM.
The specific projects include :
- LACOAST (Land cover changes in coastal zones), being undertaken by the
Agriculture Information Systems (AIS) and Centre for Earth Observation (CEO)
Units of the Space Applications Institute (SAI) at the Joint Research Centre
(JRC); it was clearly defined from the beginning that it should make a strong
contribution to the demonstration programme.
This project provides quantitative estimates of land cover and/or land use change in Community coastal zones, particularly due to human activities. Where changes are observed, an identification and interpretation of the factors responsible for these changes are undertaken. The project concerns the entire coastal zones of 10 European Member States; the coastal zones have been defined as a strip of land, 10 kilometres wide from the shoreline.
A quantitative estimation of Land use/Land cover changes that have occurred over a period of about 15 years is being performed. It is based upon two complete Land Cover data bases (scale 1 :100 000, 44 classes), centred on two base-years (1975 and 1990). Classifications are achieved for 1975 using Landsat/MSS data whilst the 1990 status is provided by the Corine Land Cover database (completed using Landsat/TM and SPOT data). Statistics and maps of changes are produced according to countries, communes limits and distance from the shoreline. It is done in close cooperation with the national teams in charge of the Corine Land Cover Database.
The results obtained using the LACOAST methodology provide support to the European institutions, concerning environmental status and policy. In addition, the information can be used on a regional or local level as an input to land planning. Building on the success of early work, the project may be extended to other coastal zones and even other land areas.
- POP Sicily/Envireg, being undertaken by the SAI, EI (Environment Institute) and ISIS(Insitute of Systems, of Information Systems and Safety) Assessment, monitoring and decision support system for water resources in Sicily. Environmental assessment of industrial areas and development of a remote sensing monitoring system. Development of GIS for Sicily integrating marine and terrestrial remote sensing parameters.
- OCTOPUS, being undertaken by the ME (Marine Environment) unit of the Space Application Institute. Development of European ocean colour techniques for observation.
- DESIMA (DEcision Support for Integrated coastal zone Management), being undertaken by the ME and CEO units of the SAI. The objective is to develop an information system to support integrated decision making in coastal areas by providing concurrent access to data from a variety of sources including both in-situ and remotely sensed data.
D. INFORMATION DIFFUSION
The broad exchange and diffusion of information is a fundamental step in meeting the objectives of the ICZM Demonstration Programme.
The meetings of the national experts and of the project leaders have a direct and immediate result in terms of information diffusion. They allow the exchange of information and experience between countries and regions.
Project files have been established and a project data base, which includes contact names, addresses, etc. is being maintained. Fiches profiling each project were prepared and edited by the project leaders. These profiles form the basis of an information brochure which has been produced explaining the objectives of the demonstration programme and describing the individual projects. This brochure is being diffused widely. As well as providing concrete information on the demonstration programme, it includes the coordinates of the project leaders, to stimulate continued communication and information exchange outside of the demonstration programme per se.
It is anticipated that a description of the demonstration programme, based on this brochure, will be shortly available on an Internet page. This format will allow broad access and rapid update of the contents.
IV. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROGRAMME
The innovative character of the financing of this initiative, including various Community financing sources, combined with the cofinancing of projects by actors in the Member States.
The sites visits already initiated by the Commission provide initial impressions of the issues at stake in each project.
These observations are in line with the expectations of the overall objectives of the Communication COM(95)511 (see section II.A)
- The concrete technical informations can address a wide range of physical cultural and socio-economic conditions because of the wide diversity of experiences and situations presented in the pilot projects. This allows a wide diversity of approaches to ICZM and the issues covered by the projects.
- The projects will stimulate a broad debate and exchange of information including the private sector, as a common language starts to develop and mechanisms are developed between competent professionals to build a mutual trust between the various actors of the projects. Almost all projects strive to bridge administrative and sectorial divisions.
The diversity of experiences and situations represented in the pilot projects has provided some preliminary indications of the complex set of conditions amenable to successful ICZM.
The work to date bears out the assumptions underlying the Demonstration Programme. The diversity of the demonstration projects and of the administrative and organisational arrangements they represent is proof of the need for a thorough review (by means of case studies) of the situation on the ground across Europe in order to guide EU policy and strategy with regard to coastal management. Judging by the response to the project and specialist tender calls as well as the scope and proceedings of the meetings so far held with individual projects, with the project leader group and discussions with those actively involved in coastal management, there is ample evidence of widespread interest in the integrated approach to management; this interest confirms the importance of the objectives of the Programme -- to support and facilitate the introduction of widespread integrated management of the coastal areas of Member States.
The projects selected are representative of the full range of issues which need to be addressed, they are also representative of the range of technical and methodological approaches being employed throughout the world in integrated management. The programme has succeeded in attracting a sufficient number and spread of projects which are representative of the geographical, physical and social conditions which prevail in Member States. The Programme has also succeeded in attracting the involvement and interest of a wide spectrum of the expert groups and specialists in this subject from the academic, scientific, professional and institutional communities.
All of the different levels of administration are represented in the projects. For example, the Syndicate Cote d’Opale, the Waddensea and Rade de Brest projects each has national and regional agencies and departments prominent in their organization and the Latvian and Lithuanian projects are in fact led by national level agencies. The regional level of authority is represented in some capacity in most projects, however, as one might expect given the nature of the programme, the majority of the projects are being promoted and led by local agencies and interests.
Voluntary organisations are also prominent, particularly in the UK projects. University and other scientific and academic institutions are participating in many projects, either as leaders (E.g. Cyclides, Ria d’Aveiro, Ulster) or in support to public authorities (Valencia/Gandia). It is the intention in all of the projects to involve the general public in the process as the ICZM plans are developed and all projects envisage or have already entered into consultation with representatives of the different sectors of activity, business associations and so forth.
The programme has thus been successful to date in involving the range of actors concerned by ICZM. The Programme is progressing according to schedule and the debate on ICZM which is needed to inform policy has already begun. While it is early to start to draw conclusions, some points which will require reflection are illustrated by reference to the matters arising out of the work to date :
Diversity of approaches to ICZM
Whilst the integrated approach is virtually universal, the way in which the individual project teams organise to achieve this end varies from one project to another depending upon the characteristics of the administration and cultural factors in the country in question. Organisational arrangements range from the informal and/or voluntary set up usually involving the so called bottom up approach, to highly formal nationally or centrally led operations. This suggests that there is no one correct formula for successful ICZM; the correct approach in a given context may be very dependent both on the problems being faced, and on social and cultural factors.
Diversity of issues
The projects which have been selected provide examples of the full and complex range of administrative, legislative, environmental, physical and economic issues which affect coastal areas and are representative of the issues likely to be met anywhere on the coasts of Europe.
Importance of motive/motivation (environment not only stimulus) to undertake ICZM.
Another factor which is emerging as being of importance concerns the motivation underlying the search for means to improve and integrate management in the coastal area. Environmental considerations are, of course, a central concern in all of the demonstration projects, but what is becoming clear also is that economic and social motives are at least as important in stimulating local and other interests to initiate the effort towards integration. This has a bearing on the way in which these groups organise and in their capacity and the way in which they operate.
Mechanisms for involving the private sector
Several projects have noted particular difficulty in finding a mechanism for involving the private sector in the planning process. Business associations tend to be product or activity related and are not always representative of the broader spectrum of industry or commerce in a given area. In particular, the smaller firms in an area may not belong to such organizations. Major business interests, on the other hand, may consider their activities confidential or that their interests might be compromised by too much involvement in the planning system. However, to be successful, ICZM must involve these actors -- appropriate mechanisms must be identified.
Building mutual trust between actors
One of the difficulties of integrated planning is that the various actors concerned frequently start out suspicious of the motivations of the others. This is true for both different levels of administration, and between types of actors. It is essential for all of the actors to develop sufficient mutual trust to allow them to search for mutually advantageous solutions. Where the mistrust is due to historical reasons, this may be a slow process, but it must be undertaken before other results can be anticipated. Some of the pilot projects have found that a "neutral" body, such as a university or research center, can help facilitate the creation of this trust, because they are not seen as "power-brokers". (When such an approach is used, however, it is essential to ensure that the real agents of power are indeed involved in the process so that the exercise does not remain purely theoretical.)
Needs for a common language of INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT IN COASTAL ZONES
Many of the terms and concepts employed in integrated management are interpreted differently by different actors. This results from various causes : Linguistic and cultural differences between countries lead to different understandings of the same terms by people from different Member States. Within countries, however, actors from different sectors or disciplinary backgrounds may use the same words to represent different concepts. (This may, in fact, contribute to the frequent lack of trust mentioned above.)
The debate on ICZM, which has already begun amongst the project leaders and others involved in the Demonstration programme, is helping to 'isolate' certain matters of definition and interpretation which are of common concern. Understanding of the terms employed in integrated management and, indeed, the meaning of integration and management in different contexts and under different social, cultural and administrative circumstances is being clarified as the practical work of the projects proceeds. The need for definition and clarification of the concepts was anticipated in the programme design, but is still not completed. It underlines the importance of employing clear definitions throughout the planning process at all levels.
Key issue is the mechanisms for interaction between administrative/sectoral layers
One assumption underlying the demonstration programme is that there are inconsistencies in administration and in the legislation in almost all States which lead to gaps in the coverage of issues, to duplication of effort, waste and inefficiency and that this, in turn, is one of the most important reasons why the search for sustainability in environmental and economic management has been less than successful to date. The demonstration projects confirm this to be the situation with almost all projects striving to bridge administrative and sectoral divides of one form or another. In particular the dearth of strategic cross sectoral planning and the weakness of the regional planning layer are emerging as issues. In order for ICZM to be successful, mechanisms must exist for liaison between local, regional and national planning systems; between the public administrative system and private sector management and control systems; and between Departments and Divisions within both the public and private administrative systems and between private and public organizations.
Capacity building
The projects are generally being led by competent professionals. However, the resources on which these people can lean are very varied. Successful ICZM may depend on a long-term investment in appropriate training and development of adequate resources including monitoring systems and information bases.
In addition to the items discussed above, the following elements are emerging as key to successful ICZM :
- enabling legislation - a basis in law
- facility to control and regulate land use and activity
- system of forward planning
- system of property registration
- mechanisms to facilitate the participation of the general public
- mechanisms for compensation, and controlled - but compulsory - acquisition of property by authority
- activities and processes in the hinterland
It is anticipated that the work of the Programme over the next year will help to clarify the importance of these elements and how they might be tackled in a successful Community ICZM strategy, as well as probably to identify others.
V. PROGRAMME OF WORK 1998-1999
A. Monitoring of Demonstration Projects (until early 1999)
Having completed the description phase, all of the demonstration projects will be moving into the analysis, planning and implementation phases. The Programme Management Unit will continue to follow the progress of individual projects through visits and bi-lateral communication.
In March, 1998, the next two PLG meetings are scheduled. Instead of holding large meetings with all project leaders, these meetings will function as workshops on specific topics (to be identified during the project visits) and only the relevant projects will participate. In June, a general PLG meeting is scheduled to bring together the various topics, to exchange information and assess progress to date. (This June meeting will be held in Lisbon to coincide with Expo 98.)
B. Thematic Analyses (until end 1998)
The thematic studies will be conducted over the next year. The experts will start by collecting information remotely from the projects, followed by site visits. These visits will be coordinated as much as possible to minimize interruptions to the project teams.
Interim reports will be provided by mid-1998, with the final reports due at the end of the year.
C. Scientific research and support (until early 1999)
The various activities of DG XII, JRC and the EEA’s topic center will continue their operation throughout the programme, with their results being presented to the PLG and EXP meetings and incorporated into the final recommendations.
D. Evaluation of results (mid 1998 to early 1999)
Upon receipt of the thematic experts’ interim reports, the Programme Management Unit, in conjunction with the PLG and EXP groups, will commence the process of reviewing the results and formulating recommendations for follow-up action at the Community and other levels.
E. Debate and broad discussion of results (Nov. 1998 to end 1999)
On the basis of the preliminary recommendations drafted by the Programme Management Unit, a broad consultation will be launched. The first forum for this discussion will be at a major seminar to be held in the context of the INTERREG programme, in Goteborg in October or November, 1998. This forum will consist of a series of panel discussions. The members of the panels will include prominent players in ICZM including some of the project leaders and members of the EXP group. The forum will allow the general participants the opportunity to pose questions and response to issues raised by the panels. A poster display will provide all of the project leaders to present the details of their individual projects.
Following this major seminar, smaller events will be organized at the regional level. The overall objective of these seminars will be to arrive at a consensus on the results of the demonstration programme and on recommendations for followup action at the Community level and at other administration levels.
The results of this consultation process will be presented in a Communication to Council and the European Parliament, in the second half of 1999 and will contribute to the Community added-value of this programme.
The Demonstration Programme for Integrated Coastal Zone Management is on track. The initiation phase of the programme has been completed; all of the demonstration projects are now operational and being implemented based on the common, agreed methodology. Six thematic analyses have also been launched to synthesize experiences from a cross-section of the projects.
The initial observations drawn to date from the monitoring of the projects and the discussions in the PLG and EXP meetings indicate that the programme will provide the information necessary to derive practical conclusions concerning how to promote and facilitate ICZM. These conclusions will be widely diffused as the basis for a broad debate starting in October or November of 1998. The final report on the programme and recommendations for future action will be prepared by the end of 1999.
LIST OF PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE ICZM DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME
(Note: an updated version of the contact information included in the printed version of COM744/97 can be found on the Projects page)
Projects funded under the LIFE Instrument:
96/DK/012/PAZ - Integrated Cooperation on Sustainable Tourism Development and Recreational Use in the Wadden Sea Area
96/F/386/PAZ - Aménagement et gestion intégrés de la rade de Brest et de son bassin versant
96/F/434/PAZ - Concertation, Coordination, Côte d'Opale (C.O.4)
96/FIN/071/PAZ - Planning of coastal areas at the Gulf of Finland
96/GR/537/PAZ - Programme for integrated coastal area management in Cyclades (Picamcy)
96/GR/564/PAZ - Concerted Actions for the Management of the Strymonikos Coastal Zone
96/GR/580/PAZ - Information, Concertation. Conditions pour le développement soutenable des côtes
96/P/601/LBL - Programa de Gestão Integrada para a Ria de Aveiro - MARIA
96/UK/401/PAZ - Coastal Zone Management: Development of a strategy for an open coast
96/UK/404/LBL - Implementing alternative strategies in Irish beach and dune management. Community involvement in sustainable coastal development. A demonstration project in sustainable beach and dune management.
96/UK/406/PAZ - The Forth Estuary Forum: A Demonstration of Effective Integrated Coastal Zone Management
96/UK/425/PAZ - Demonstration Programme on Integrated Management of Coastal Zones
97/IT/072/PAZ - "RICAMA"
97/IRL/209/LBL "Bantry Bay"
Projects funded under the TERRA Programme
Coastlink (13):
Coastlink - Storstrøm
Coastlink -Down District
Coastlink -ANAS
Coastlink -Cornwall
Coastlink-Devon
Coastlink -Ipiros
Coastlink -Kent
CZM (85):
CZM -Algarve
CZM -Kavala
CZM -West Flanders
POSIDONIA (55):
POSIDONIA -Napoli
POSIDONIA -Palermo
POSIDONIA -Taranto
POSIDONIA -Barcelona
POSIDONIA -Athens
Concercost (138):
Concercost -La Costera-Canal
Concercost -La Gironde
Concercost -Vale do Lima
Projects funded by PHARE (and the World Bank)
ICZM Latvia
ICZM Lithuania
Project funded by the Norwegian government:
Local Management Plans on the Norwegian Coast
MAP of PROJECTS
Work Planning for 1998 and 1999:
1998
January:
Completion of initial visits to project sites
Feb - May:
Second visits to project sites - in coordination with thematic experts
end February:
Meeting of thematic experts to review progress (Brussels)
3rd week of March:
Workshops A and B of project leaders’ group (Brussels)
4th week of March:
Workshops C and D of project leaders’ group (Brussels)
early May:
Meeting of thematic experts to review progress (Brussels)
10-11 June:
PLG meeting (Lisbon)
11 June:
Experts Group meeting (Lisbon)
end June:
Interim reports of Thematic Experts due
September - November:
Consolidations of conclusions and experience to date into reflection paper.
end October:
Conference on ICZM in INTERREG Forum (Goteborg) -- Launching of Public
Debate on Future Activities
end December:
Final reports of Thematic Experts due
1999
January:
Consolidation of thematic reports into common synthesis with preliminary conclusions
January - June:
Stimulation and animation of broad debate on ICZM
June - December:
Preparation and presentation of final conclusions in the form of a Communication to Council and the European Parliament