What is integrated coastal zone management (ICZM)?

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a process for managing coastal areas considering all aspects of the coastal environment.

ICZM is a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative process designed to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (in a broad sense, including both policy and regulation), decision making, management and monitoring of implementation. ICZM uses the informed participation and cooperation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a coastal area, and to take actions towards meeting these objectives. ICZM seeks, over the long-term, to balance environmental, economic, social, cultural and recreational objectives, all within the limits set by natural dynamics.

The concept of ICZM was born out of the need to manage the complex and often conflicting uses of coastal zones, which are areas of high biological productivity, biodiversity and endemism, but also areas of high human settlement, resource use and development. Coastal zones are under pressure from population growth, economic development, and natural forces like climate change and sea level rise. These pressures can lead to degradation of coastal ecosystems and resources, loss of biodiversity, and conflicts among users of the coastal zone.

ICZM aims to address these challenges by integrating the management of land, water and living resources, promoting conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. It involves the integration of the different policy areas, sectors, and levels of government that have a stake in the coastal zone. It also involves the integration of the different tools and instruments used to manage the coastal zone, such as spatial planning, regulation, economic incentives, voluntary agreements, education and awareness raising.

In essence, ICZM is about managing the interactions between human activities and the coastal environment in a way that ensures the long-term sustainability of both. It is a holistic approach that recognises the interconnections among the different components of the coastal system, and seeks to manage these in a coordinated, sustainable and equitable way.