Marine Law & Policy Centre, projects

COREPOINT

Dr. Anne Marie O'Hagan is the co-ordinator of the "Effectiveness of Current Spatial Policies for Coastal Management" Action for the COREPOINT project.

The project homepage can be accessed here.

Project description:

The coastlines of northwest Europe are facing a growing range of threats due to both human activities and natural environmental change. For example, intensive exploitation of coastal resources and increasing coastal development has resulted in the degradation of coastal habitats and pollution. This degradation has negative environmental, social and economic consequences. In addition, recent research by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that climate change may lead to a rise in sea level of several millimetres per year, an increase in the frequency and intensity of coastal storms and deviation from “traditional” storm paths. It is enviasged that the combined effects of these two phenomena will have further negative affects on the coastal environment such as such as major flooding and alteration of the shoreline.

Concerns for such problems are shared across northwest European coastal countries. In 1996, as part of its Environmental policy, the European Union launched the Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) which promotes sustainable management through co-operation and integrated planning, involving all the relevant players at the appropriate geographic level. One of the outcomes of this programme was a set of recommendations on a European Strategy for ICZM. Subsequently, there have been varying levels of engagement with this strategy across EU Member States.

Discussion on the issue of ICZM was encouraged and facilitated by the Interreg Secretariat at the Interreg IIIB Liverpool Thematic Workshop in March 2003. The debate stimulated by the Workshop led to an initial formulation of this COREPOINT proposal, which was first submitted for consideration in September 2003. The proposal was unsuccessful, but following feedback from the Secretariat the idea has been further developed for resubmission. Ongoing open discussion between experts across national boundaries has identified the following key issues that need to be addressed:

• Lack of integrated planning and management to achieve sustainable development of the NW Europe coastal zone.
• Lack of engagement and open communication with stakeholders, including political representatives and the general public.
• Poor links between researchers and policy makers.
• Lack of sustained capacity and expertise within local authorities.
• Disproportionate levels of progress on ICZM in Northwest Europe .

The Marine Law & Ocean Policy Centre will coordinate Action 2:

Determine the effectiveness of current spatial policies for coastal management:

These Actions will review international approaches to ICZM; quantify the economic benefits of natural coastal ecosystems; identify financial models for sustaining ICZM initiates; review the EU ICZM Stocktake process; analyse key coastal issues and conflicts in NW Europe; and determine the status of ICZM as an approach to spatial planning in NW Europe. The information and discussion pertinent to the work package will underpin the subsequent activities on the project.

Deliverables will include:

• Reports :
  • Review of international approaches to ICZM
  • Review of EU directives and policies with direct and indirect implications for coastal management
  • The economic benefits of natural coastal ecosystems
• Stocktake workshop
• Matrix of contemporary coastal issues and conflicts in NW Europe
• Directory of research activity and expertise in coastal management in NW Europe

 These will be available on the COREPOINT website in mid-November.

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