Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management
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Coastal and marine environments are usually characterized by beautiful landscapes and rich ecosystems of great importance. They also attract human activities such us tourist and industrial uses and offer important natural elements such us rich biodiversity. Besides the natural hazards (e.g. erosion), another issue that has to be dealt is the co-existence between human activities and natural resources that often creates problems that hold back development and protection procedures.
Management policies are an important means of implementing contemporary planning. Their basic advantages are the attraction of economic resources and the participation of local factors. The development of a coastal and marine spatial planning system presents an opportunity for an encouragement of an overall strategy of conservation, sustainability, and management to maximise future economic profit.
Spatial Planning
The role of Spatial Planning used to appear intensively in actions about economic and social development. Gradually, environmental dimensions were taken into account, especially through the appearance of Sustainable Development in environmentally important areas. Spatial Planning in Europe promotes environmental sustainability examining the concept of development which meets environmental, social and economic needs of present and future generations as well as policy and planning instruments to promote such development. It also encourages spatial integration of development perspectives demonstrating how social cohesion, regional innovation and sustainable development can interplay in real planning situations, using policies and planning tools, such us Environmental Impact Assessment and European Spatial Development Perspective.
Through the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Spatial Planning has managed to define and map coastal and marine areas. It is essential to examine not only environmental impacts of individual activities but to research cumulative effects of several different activities occurring in an area. Mapping coastal and marine areas in detail allows an opportunity to identify them at particular risk from possible pollution or excessive disturbance and to examine in detail how many activities are occurring.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a dynamic, continuous and iterative process designed to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. ICZM projects cover various geographical areas. Some cover areas with more localized character while others apply to spatially large coastal areas. The “Integrated” in ICZM refers both to the integration of objectives and to the integration of the multiple instruments needed to meet these objectives. It means integration of all relevant policy areas, sectors, and levels of administration. It means integration of the terrestrial and marine components of the target territory. It also refers to four types of integration: spatial, temporal, vertical and horizontal.
Comparing Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management
A common characteristic between Spatial Planning and ICZM is to define, develop and protect coastal zone, ICZM in more allocated areas while Spatial Planning in a larger scale, targeting at the best possible embodiment of coastal areas in a larger spatial aggregation. Both share policies with the same goal, the confrontation of land use conflicts for the development and conservation of coastal and marine environment. One the one hand, Spatial Planning in a national level is essential examining actions in urban and regional coastal zones. On the other hand, Coastal Zone Management seems to become more necessary day by day because of the increasing importance of coastal and marine exploitation/development and protection.
An enabling environment at the European level could provide the framework in which countries can develop more appropriate integrated coastal zone management policies, including investment strategies, integrated development plans (spatial and functional) and resource management strategies.
The most important issue for both Spatial Planning and ICZM is the effective and successful implementation of planning systems and policies as well as a better understanding and definition of coastal and marine areas. A common perspective of European coasts must be adopted in order to improve management and planning of activities in coastal and marine areas.
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