The OURCOAST initiative was made possible thanks to the European Parliament that voted a dedicated resource for this purpose into the EU budget in 2008. Through OURCOAST, the European Commission aims to ensure that lessons learned from the coastal management experiences and practices will be shared and made accessible to those who are seeking sustainable solutions to their coastal management practices. OURCOAST will focus in particular on adaptation to risks and the impacts of climate change, information and communication systems, planning and land management instruments, and institutional coordination mechanisms. Since 1996, the European Commission has intensively worked to promote Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) as an approach to integrated planning and management, in which all policies, sectors and interests are properly taken into account to achieve sustainable coastal development. The EU ICZM Recommendation requested the EU coastal Member States to set up strategies to promote ICZM along their shorelines. OURCOAST is a further step in the joint efforts of the European Commission, Member States, coastal regions and networks to support and implement sustainable coastal planning and management.
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PROJECT OVERVIEW