Managing coasts

A typical coastal management plan considers the coastal morphology, climate geology and soils; natural resources; coastal erosion and accretion; trophic status; ornithological importance; fish and fisheries; vegetation; wetlands, dunes and other areas of conservation importance, institutional considerations, such as land tenure, land use, legal and policy areas; archaeological and ethnographic significance; provision of buffer zones, and resources needed and means of assistance in implementing management guidelines.

A master plan or integrated coastal area management (ICAM) plan for the conservation, management and development of tidelands is the most suitable approach to evaluate present actions and plans and direct future developments. An ICAM process starts with a concept paper and evolves through a number of steps that lead to the definition, by all sectors, of an ICAM strategy. The strategy will, in turn, guide the development of either a common integrated plan or expanded sectoral plans.

UNESCO's programme includes the following: pursuing regional cooperation in marine science and coastal area management.

1. Managing natural areas
2. Managing marine resources
3. Improving planning and management systems

1. Undertaking pilot projects on integrated marine and coastal resource management
2. Restoring beaches
3. Protecting against high tides
4. Preserving coastal biodiversity
5. Preparing national guidelines for coastal management
6. Monitoring coastal environment
7. Managing coastal reserves
8. Increasing coastal zone management capabilities at the local level
9. Incorporating traditional knowledge of marine living resources in management plans
10. Identifying obstacles to the utilization of coastal resources
11. Establishing offshore zones
12. Establishing marine conservation zones
13. Ensuring sustainable development of coastal zones
14. Ensuring local participation in coastal zone management
15. Developing coastal resource planning
16. Coordinating sectoral programmes for management of coastal zones
17. Controlling human induced coastal erosion
18. Controlling harmful levels of artificial discharge to coastal waters
19. Controlling excessive nutrient enrichment of coastal waters
20. Adapting coast management techniques to environmental conditions on small islands

1. Safeguarding archaeological sites
2. Protecting shorelines
3. Monitoring effects of transboundary air pollution in water
4. Conserving seals
5. Cleaning up marine pollution

1. Supporting national efforts on integrated management of marine and coastal areas
2. Supporting integrated coastal zone management in developing countries
3. Strengthening cooperation on coastal zone management with developing countries
4. Researching coastal ecosystems
5. Reinforcing networks on marine coastal processes

1. Developing coastal zones

1. Managing degraded river basins
2. Integrating wetlands biodiversity conservation into river basin management
3. Coordinating international river basin development
4. Assessing potential for aquaculture in coastal areas

1. Unsustainable development of coastal zones
2. Lack of coastal development

1. Mismanagement
2. Integration

1. Integrated coastal zone management
2. NSW Coastline Management Manual
3. THE COASTAL MANAGEMENT CENTRE
4. Integrated coastal zone management, health, and environment: directory of resources
5. INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT
6. International Experience in Integrated Coastal Resources Management
7. Integrated Coastal Zone Management