Integration of climate change adaptation in coastal zone management plans

Stakeholder involvement and participation are some of the key principles and requirements of an ICZM process. The 2002 EU Recommendation on ICZM stresses the importance of involving all parties and all levels concerned (including national, regional and local administrations, economic operators, social actors, non-governmental organisations, organisations representing local communities, research institutions, etc.) in the ICZM process and the elaboration of related strategies and plans. Stakeholder participation is considered a cross-cutting activity pertinent to all steps of the ICZM process; therefore, establishing it from an early stage is vital. Some aspects of the ICZM process are particularly relevant for stakeholder participation, i.e., data and information sharing, common agreement on strategic objectives and future vision, consensus-building on and public acceptance of ICZM strategies and plans, transparent communication, monitoring and adjustment of ICZM implementation. Indeed, coastal policies, strategy and plan can only be successfully implemented if full stakeholder participation and support is ensured. 

There are many different ways of public participation in ICZM, including:  

• Informing the public about the ICZM process, objectives and progress results; 

• Increasing public awareness and developing training opportunities on coastal issues and ICZM principles; 
• Involving stakeholders in the preparation of decisions forming the ICZM strategy and/or  plan; 
• Constructing strategic alliances or partnerships among different subjects (e.g., local authorities, experts and local communities) to promote and implement ICZM.  

Cross-border cooperation is highly recommended not only to ensure coherence and coordination of ICZM strategies and plans developed by bordering countries, but also to share and join resources and competence in tackling transboundary issues, e.g.: sustainable management of limited resources (e.g. submarine sand deposits, which are strategic resources for beach nourishment in some marine areas), preservation of fish stock at a basin or sub-basin level, networking of coastal and marine protected areas, development of common economic vision and strategies to foster investments on sustainable development, etc. Best practices analysed by the EC-funded Ourcoast project provided various examples of stakeholder participation initiatives within ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management – Participation practices in Europe), highlighting that though public participation may imply more time for a decision to be taken, it can promote a more cost-effective process and provide accepted choices.  

Main ICZM success factors for climate change adaptation of coastal areas can be identified in some of its key principles and approaches, i.e.:  

• (Coordination among administrations and integration of competences beyond sector fragmentation; 
• Cross-border cooperation on common transboundary issues; 
• Stakeholder involvement and public participation in particular to ensure public acceptance of ICZM strategy and plan; 

• Long-term view and adaptive management approach; 
• Provision of a general framework that can be targeted to local specificities and different scales (from national to local).  

ICZM can be fostered by initiatives facilitating the sharing of good practices among stakeholders, policy and decision-makers. The ICZM Platform managed by UNEP/MAP PAP RAC (especially for the Mediterranean region) and the MSP Platform (at the European level) are important tools acting in this direction. According to the report “The way to a regional framework for ICZM in the Mediterranean 2017-2021”, elements that can negatively affect the ICZM process, hindering its real implementation, are: 

• Governance aspects, e.g. lack of political commitment, lack of shared vision and priorities, lack of recognized leadership, lack of coordination. 
• Legal and institutional aspects; need to adapt national legislation in order to streamline ICZM, lack of national strategies, lack of coherence between national and subnational laws; 

• Information and knowledge; lack of shared databases, GIS tools and platforms, limited access to existing information and knowledge; 
• Capacity and skills; need to train ICZM stakeholders, lack of expertise. 

An improved understanding and demonstration of concrete socio-economic benefits (in addition to environmental benefits that are generally better known and more easily perceived), particularly for local coastal communities, would strengthen the real implementation of ICZM processes and the wide acceptance of ICZM strategies and plans. 

Costs of the elaboration and implementation of ICZM strategies and plans are highly site-specific, depending on the scope, the adopted approach, the considered spatial scale, the implemented steps within the ICZM process, etc. Since 1985, UNEP/MAP PAP RAC has coordinated the Coastal Area Management Programme (CAMP), aiming to implement practical coastal management projects in selected Mediterranean coastal areas, applying ICZM as a major framework and thus facilitating the implementation of the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Mediterranean countries. The projects have an average budget of € 300,000, provided by the Mediterranean Trust Fund and national, regional and local funds.  

The main expected benefit is the sustainable management of the coastal space and the related land and marine resources. This implies the balance of different goals and needs, such as: economic development including benefits to local communities, social benefits ensuring that the coast is an attractive and safe place where people live and work, protection of the quality of the coastal environment and preservation of coastal habitats and biodiversity. Indeed, ICZM is expected to go beyond the fragmentation of competencies and to promote integration among sectors and different administrations actively. Based also on the Ourcoast project publication “Socio-economic benefits from ICZM practices around Europe”, the following governance and socio-economic related benefits of ICZM can be identified: 

• Improved exchange of data and information, with the possible reduction of data gathering and acquisition costs; 
• Decrease in costs related to lack of coordination among different authorities; 
• Improved decision-making and more coherent coastal spatial planning that can also accelerate bureaucratic procedures and improve the investment climate; 

• Decrease of conflicts, and related transition costs, among human activities (including nature protection) occurring along the coast and possible capitalisation of synergy in the use of the same coastal space; 
• Improved preservation of environmental quality, nature conservation and preservation of coastal and marine resources, which are the fundamental basis for some coastal economic activities (e.g., fishery and aquaculture or bathing and naturalistic tourism); 
• Socio-economic sustainability of coastal communities; 
• Better preparation to climate change and therefore reduction of adaptation costs. 

The Recommendation of the European Parliament and the Council 2002/413/EC identifies the general principles of the ICZM approach. It promotes the development of national ICZM strategies and  transboundary cooperation in coastal zone planning and management. In March 2013, the Commission launched an initiative proposing a directive establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management (EC COM(2013) 133), aiming at promoting the sustainable growth of maritime and coastal economies and the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources. The finally approved Directive establishing a framework for Maritime Spatial Planning in Europe focuses on MSP rather than explicitly addressing ICZM. Nevertheless, the directive stresses the importance of considering land-sea interactions. Specifically art. 7 states: “In order to take into account land-sea interactions in accordance with Article 4(2), should this not form part of the maritime spatial planning process as such, Member States may use other formal or informal processes, such as integrated coastal management. The outcome shall be reflected by Member States in their maritime spatial plans”. 

Having been ratified by six countries (including European Union), on 24th March 2011, the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management to the Barcelona Convention entered into force. This step implied that the Protocol became part of EU laws, becoming legally binding for Mediterranean countries. The “Common Regional Framework (CRF) for ICZM” (2019) is the strategic instrument meant to facilitate the implementation of the ICZM Protocol according to common principles. The CRF introduces Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as the main tool and process for implementing ICZM in the marine part of the coastal zone, and specifically for its sustainable planning and management. 

Typically, the elaboration of an ICZM strategy and plan can require 2-4 years. 

ICZM plans are based on a long-term vision, especially when explicitly considering climate change. The plans typically propose measures for a 10-15 years period, including short-term (1-2 years), medium-term (2-5 years) and long-term measures. The envisaged solutions must be adaptable to uncertainties and the plan needs to be periodically revised according to the latest knowledge on coastal dynamics and climate change scenarios.