| What is ICZM? | • | Need for ICZM | • | Handling Issues | • | EU Recommendation | • | Public Participation |
Integrated Coastal Zone Management
(ICZM) is a process of management that seeks to achieve the sustainable
development of our coastal zone. It does this by joining-up the multitude
of policies that impact on the physical, economic and social aspects of
the coastal environment. An integrated approach requires the involvement
of all sectors and levels of administration, including coastal communities.
ICZM is an iterative, dynamic process that evolves over time. The Extent of the Coastal Zone
The coastal zone is an area representing a strip of both land and sea. The coastal zone can be of varying width, depending on the nature of the environment and management needs. It is important to define the extent of the coastal zone when tackling a particular issue, i.e some problems will relate to the immediate foreshore while others will involve the consideration of the entire catchment.
Why is there a need for ICZM?
1. Complex Natural Environment
The coast has to be managed in a particular way because of the unique need for expertise in both the terrestrial and the marine environment. The coast represents a dynamic, natural environment; subject to short, medium and long-term change as a result of coastal processes such as tides, waves, currents and sea level rise which often have serious implications for human settlements.
2. Intense Human Activity in the Coastal Zone
- Demographic trends
On a global level, coasts comprise 20% of the Earth's surface, yet they host a significant portion of the entire human population (approximately 50 % of the human population live within 200km of the coast [UN, 2002]). - Exploitation of natural resources
Coastal ecosystems are highly productive containing rich biological diversity, fishery resources and significant seabed minerals. However, bad management and unsustainable levels of resource exploitation have led to cases of serious depletion of our natural coastal resources. - Conflict of use
Competing demands for space (e.g. conservation of wetlands versus tourism development), often result in conflict between coastal stakeholders (people living and working in the coastal zone).
 Fly ash from the closed Irish steel plant in Cork Harbour. |
3. Traditionally poor management structures.
Coastal management is characterised by complex administrative structures. The administrative framework governing the coast usually represents a mixture of terrestrial and marine and spatial planning, in addition to the interests of various coastal sectors, (including fishing and aquaculture, tourism, shipping, oil and gas related industries). Traditionally, a lack of integrated planning for the coast has resulted in poor management structures.
How do we deal with these issues?
 There has been an increase in redidential development in coastal villages such as Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, in recent years. |
The UK Government's Response to the EU ICZM Recommendation was to commission Atkins Water to undertake a stocktake of the framework for management of the UK coastal zone in March 2003. This was completed in March 2004, and has assisted in developing national strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The document 'Towards an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for Northern Ireland 2006 - 2026' was published by the Department of the Environment (DOE NI) in June 2006. This publication outlines the consultation strategy for ICZM in Northern Ireland. Currently there are no specific resources for the implementation of the ICZM objectives; these will be incorporated into the daily activities and programmes of responsible organisations and partners.
| Bodies with coastal zone management responsibilities (Rep. of Ireland): |
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| Department | Description, including key relevant state organisations | |
| Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) | Policy and legislation for the sustainable management, development and contribution of Ireland’s marine territory, seafood sector seaward of the Mean High Water Mark, inland fisheries and marine tourism and leisure; maritime transport and port services; minerals and hydrocarbon explorations.Licensing for: foreshore developments; dumping at sea;aquaculture; oil and gas exploration, communications and broadcasting.The Department is responsible for 29 State bodies, 10 Port Companies and 14 Harbour Authorities. The bodies pertinent to the coastal and marine area are outlined below: | |
| Central and Regional Fisheries Boards | Co-ordinates fisheries conservation, protection and development. Manages and promotes inland fishing and sea angling | |
| Bord Iascaigh Mhara | Promotes and develops the sea-fish industry, fleet development, aquaculture market & marine services. | |
| The Marine Institute | Undertakes, co-ordinates and promotes marine research and development. | |
| Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission | Responsible for fisheries and marine tourism and leisure in the Foyle and Carlingford area. | |
| The Coastal Zone Management Division | Provides services relating to aquaculture licences, foreshore licences and dumping at sea permits. Responsible for develop of national ICZM Strategy for Ireland. | |
| Commissioners of Irish Lights | Manage and maintain marine aids to navigation. | |
| Aquaculture Licence Appeals Board | An independent appellate body in respect of aquaculture licensing. | |
| Irish Maritime Development Office | Promotes, assists and develops the Irish Shipping and shipping services sector. | |
| Port Companies (10) | Management and development of the main commercial ports under the Harbours Acts 1996-2000. | |
| Harbour Authorities (14) | Manage and develop ports and harbours under the Harbours Acts 1996-2000. | |
| Geological Survey Ireland | Manages Ireland’s national seabed survey with the Marine Institute. | |
| Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCRGA) | Responsible for rural development.Funding for, and in some cases administering of, a range of programmes of support for community development.Programmes addressing social inclusion.Promotion of the social, physical and economic development of Gaeltacht areas. | |
| Údarás na Gaeltachta | Development of jobs in Gaeltacht areas. Support of cultural & sporting activities. | |
| Department of Environment and Local Government (DELG) | Policy formulation and legislation for environmental matters on landward side of Mean High Water Mark (MHWM). Responsible for the issuing of planning permission to all developments on the foreshore. Manages the National Heritage information: designations, national parks, nature reserves, monuments and heritage etc., which adjoin the functional area of the local authority. | |
| An Bord Pleanála | Responsible for the determination of appeals related to planning and development. | |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Environmental monitoring.Licensing certain effluent discharges.Data management. Coordination of environmental research. | |
| Local Authorities | Over 40 local authorities responsible for local planning and development. | |
| Heritage Council | Advisory functions - identification, protection and enhancement of national heritage. | |
| National Parks and Wildlife Service | Management of the State’s nature conservation activities under national and European law. | |
| Department of Defence | To provide military services which meet the need of the government and public and encompass and effective civil defence capability. | |
| Irish Naval Service | Fisheries protection; Marine pollution control including monitoring breaches in pollution control; Security and defence. | |
| Department of Agriculture and Food | Development and implementation of national and EU schemes in support of agriculture. Monitoring and control of all aspects of food safety, animal and plant health and animal welfare. | |
| Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism | Development and evaluation of policy in relation to the arts, sport and tourism sector. Agencies under this department with potential influence on coastal areas include Bord Fáilte, National Tourism Development Agency and Shannon Development. | |
| Bord Fáilte | Development and promotion of tourism. | |
| National Tourism Development Authority | To promote the sustainable development of tourism facilities and services. | |
| Shannon Development | To initiate, participate in and promote integrated tourism development in and throughout the Shannon region. | |
| Bodies with coastal zone management responsibilities (N. Ireland): |
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| Department/Body | Description, including key relevant state organisations | |
| Department of the Environment (DOE) | The key objective of the DOE is to protect, conserve and enhance the natural environment and built heritage and support the adoption of the principles of sustainable development; to plan and manage development in a sustainable way, contributing to a better environment in a way which is modern and responsive to the community; and to work with statutory and voluntary partners and support an effective system of local government. | |
| Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) |
Within the DOE, EHS takes the lead in advising on, implementing and responding to the Government’s environmental policies and strategies in N. Ireland. EHS is divided into three directorates: Natural Heritage, which deals with the conservation of habitats, landscapes and biodiversity; Environmental Protection, which is concerned with safeguarding the quality of air, water and land; and Built Heritage, which exists to identify, record and protect terrestrial and submerged archaeology and built heritage. | |
| The Planning Service | The Planning Service is responsible for planning applications and for developing and implementing Government planning policies and development plans. Current coastal planning policy is contained in the PSRNI, but this will be superceded by PPS20 – The Coast (discussed below). | |
| Department for Regional Development (DRD) | The key objectives of the DRD are to support the economy by maintaining and developing safe infrastructural networks, including harbour services, and by providing modern high quality water and sewage services. | |
| Ports and Public Transport Division | This maintains the commercial ports (Belfast, Coleraine, Derry, Larne and Warrenpoint) and airports. | |
| Regional Planning and Transportation Division | This Division of the DRD is responsible for the implementation of the Regional Development Strategy for N. Ireland 2025 and is currently preparing the PPS20 – The Coast. This overarching coastal policy for N. Ireland will be implemented by the Planning Service. | |
| Water Service | This Executive Agency within DRD has responsibility for the supply and distribution of drinking water and provision of sewage services throughout N. Ireland. | |
| Roads Service | This Executive Agency within DRD has sole responsibility for the 24,900km of public roads, together with 8,300km of footways, 5,800 bridges, 250,000 street lights and 370 public carparks in . N. Ireland. | |
| Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) | Delivery, administration and monitoring of arts and creativity, museums, libraries, sport and leisure, visitor amenities, inland waterways and fisheries, Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, language diversity and the Northern Ireland Events Company. The Department also advises on the distribution of lottery money. | |
| Salmon and Inland Fisheries | Under the Fisheries Act 1966 as amended, DCAL has overall responsibility for the supervision and protection of salmon and inland fisheries and for the development and the establishment of fisheries in areas other than those under the authority of the Loughs Agency of the Foyle and Carlingford and the Irish Lights Commission. | |
| Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) | DARD’s aim is to promote sustainable economic
growth and development of the countryside by assisting the competitive
development of the agri-food, fishing and forestry sectors, while
being proactive in response to the needs of consumers, the welfare
of animals and the conservation and enhancement of the environment.
DARD is responsible for:
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| Rivers Agency | This is an Executive Agency within DARD, which acts as the statutory drainage and flood defence authority. The Agency is not responsible for the prevention of flooding but for the alleviation of flooding through the maintenance of free-running water courses. | |
| Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA) | This non-governmental body was established under the
auspices of the Harbour Act (NI) 1970 and NI Fishery Harbour Authority
Order (NI) 1973. There are eight members of the Authority responsible
for the maintenance, improvement and management of the harbours of
Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie. |
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| Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (FCILC) | The FCILC was established in 1988 under the 1988 agreement between the Irish and UK Governments. The FCILC is legislated for by the North-South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (NI) Order 1999 and the British-Irish Agreement Acts 1999 and 2002. The FCILC reports to the North-South Ministerial Council and is sponsored by DARD and DRD in N. Ireland and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in the Rep. of Ireland | |
| The Loughs Agency | This is an agency of the FCILC, through which the FCILC implements
its remit of:
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| Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) | DETI is responsible for economic policy development,
energy, tourism, mineral development, health and safety at work, Companies
Registry, Insolvency Service, Consumer Affairs, and labour market
and statistics services. DETI is responsible for the offshore development
consents and the regulatory control of marine activities. Leases for
long-term public structures (e.g. piers, marinas, bridges, roads and
car-parks) and licences for other works (e.g. marine pipelines and
cables) are granted under the Foreshore Act 1933, Foreshore (Amendment)
Act 1992, and the Fisheries and Foreshore (Amendment) Act, 1988. DETI has four non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which assist in the implementation of its strategies: Invest (NI); The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB); The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and The General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland (GCCNI). |
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| Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) | The NITB is responsible for the development, promotion and marketing
of N. ireland as a tourist destination. NITB is currently implementing
its Strategic Framework for Action, which involves the development
of 4/5 Regional Tourism Partnerships (RTPs); these will have a local
remit and be representative for tourism stakeholders in that area.
Currently there are three which cover a coastal area:
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| Local Government | Local government is comprised of Borough, City and District
Councils. They have both strategic partnership and operational roles
in the implementation of ICZM. Twelve of N. Ireland’s twenty-six
councils have responsibility for coastal areas, including harbours
and in some cases, navigational marking and lights provision. Beaches
are also included in the Public Health responsibility of District
Councils. Local authorities and communities they represent are considered
key to planning, consultation and implementation of ICZM. |
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| Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) | The MCA was formed in 1998 and is an Executive Agency
within the Department for Transport (UK). The Belfast office is responsible
for the entire N. Ireland coast and two inland water bodies, Foyle
and Carlingford Loughs. The MCA is responsible for the 24-hour initiation
and co-ordination of civil maritime search and rescue in the UK Maritime
Search and Rescue Region; developing, promoting and enforcing high
standards of marine safety; and minimising the risk and impact of
pollution of the marine environment from ships to 200nm limit.. |
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| The Crown Estate | The N. Ireland marine estate is one of the largest and
most diverse in the Crown Estate’s property portfolio. It includes
more than half of the UK’s foreshore, 55% of the beds of tidal
rivers and estuaries and almost the entire seabed out to the 12 nautical
mile UK territorial limit. It also includes the rights to resources,
including oil, coal and gas, in the UK Continental Shelf. The Crown
Estate grants leases or licenses to enable seabed development alongside
those from Government Departments, and returns the net profit from
activities on its holdings to the Treasury for the benefit of the
UK taxpayer. |
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| The National Trust | The National Trust has over 200km (approximately 30%)
of N. Irelamnd coastal lands within its care. Its holdings provide
a significant contribution to the protection of landscapes, seascapes,
history, archaeology, culture, habitats and wildlife and the provision
of coastal access along the coast. |
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The UK Government's Response to the EU ICZM Recommendation was to commission Atkins Water to undertake a stocktake of the framework for management of the UK coastal zone in March 2003. This was completed in March 2004, and has assisted in developing national strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The document 'Towards an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for Northern Ireland 2006 - 2026' was published by the Department of the Environment (DOE NI) in June 2006. This publication outlines the consultation strategy for ICZM in Northern Ireland. Currently there are no specific resources for the implementation of the ICZM objectives; these will be incorporated into the daily activities and programmes of responsible organisations and partners.
The EU Recommendation on ICZM
| The
EU Recommendation on ICZM evolved from the European Commission's Coastal
Strategy, which was developed following the implementation of 35 Demonstration
Programme projects across coastal Member States at the end of the
1990s. These projects, including the Bantry Bay Charter And the Donegal
Rural Atlantic Beaches Project, identified best practice in ICZM.
The EU Recommendation on ICZM embraces the Principle of Subsidiarity,
which means that key decisions should be taken as close to the citizen
as possible. This recognises a key lesson to have emerged from the
Demonstration Programme, which highlighted the need for public participation
in the ICZM process. It has been shown that coastal management is
most effective when implemented at the local level with the full involvement
of the local community. |
Principles
of Best Practise
 Slipway and row boats Co. Donegal. |
Public Participation
The process of ICZM aims to integrate
decision making between various sectors of national, regional and local
government. Further, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations), industry and
local communities need to be involved. Public participation provides the
public with an opportunity to make their views known prior to the adoption
of policy by government. Public participation differs from public consultation.
Public consultation is a more limited form of participation where communities
are presented with a choice of options without having the ability to directly
influence the development of policy. How can ICZM involving public participation help?
ICZM can:
- Promote sustainable economic development.
- Reduce conflicts of use.
- Integrate marine activities.
- Improve land use and marine spatial planning.
Not applicable to this topic.
ICZM-Ireland: This link provides access to a complete reference list of legislation, policy and administrative structures pertaining to coastal management at EU, national and local levels in Ireland.
CoCoNet: This website provides information on the Interreg IIIA CoCoNet project, completed in June 2004. Reports detailing ICZM activities in the Southern Irish Sea region region as well as reports from the workshops held can be downloaded.
Corepoint: Information on the Corepoint project, active until June 2008, can be obtained from this website. The Corepoint project provides a good example of an ICZM initiative currently underway in Ireland.
CoPraNet: The coastal practice network is an initiative that looks to promote good practice in coastal planning particularly in relation to sustainable tourism and beach management. The CoPraNet site also contains databases containing numerous examples of good practice in ICZM, many of which can be accessed and downloaded for free (registration may be required).
I-CoNet: The Irish Coastal Network is an information exchange network for those interested in coastal management in Ireland.
DEFRA Marine: Development of UK Government's response to EU ICZM Recommendations.
ICZM in the UK (including NI): A stocktake by Atkins Water.
EHS ICZM: Environment and Heritage Service (NI) ICZM site.
NI ICZM Strategy Document: Towards an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for Northern Ireland - 2006-2026.
Coastlearn: This website provides an extremely comprehensive overview of the principles of ICZM, in addition to useful case study material.
Olsen, S.: 2003, Frameworks and indicators for assessing progress in integrated coastal management initiatives, Ocean and Coastal Management, 46.
Cummins, V., O' Mahony,C, & Connolly, N., 2004, Review of Integrated Coastal Zone Management & Pinciples of Best Practice, published by the Heritage Council, Kilkenny, pp. 102, [site visited 22/08/2006].
Cummins V., Ballinger R., O'Mahony C., Dodds W. and Smith H, 2004, Coastal Communities Network - CoCoNet. Final report produced for the INTERREG IIIA - Ireland/Wales Secretariat, project reference number 54537, pp. 51 [site visited 22/08/2006].
Commission of the European Communities, 2002, RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 May 2002 concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe, Official Journal of the European Communities, L.148/24, 6/06/2002 [site visited 22/08/2006].
UN, 2002, UN Atlas of the Oceans [site visited 22/08/2006].