Marine: Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is the adoption of an integrated or joined up approach towards the many different interests in both the land and marine components of the coast. It is the process of harmonising the different policies and decision making structures, to encourage concerted action towards achieving specific goals.
Successful integrated coastal zone management may involve adopting the following principles:
- A long term view
- A broad holistic approach
- Adaptive management
- Working with natural processes
- Support and involvement of all relevant administrative bodies
- Use of a combination of instruments
- Participatory planning
- Reflecting local characteristics
EU Recommendation on ICZM
In 2002, European Member States adopted a Recommendation on implementing integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in Europe. Member States were asked to report back to the Commission on their experience in implementing the Recommendation 45 months after its adoption.
- UK Government report to the Commission - 31 March 2006 (PDF 120 KB)
- EU Recommendation (on EU website)
To implement the EU recommendation, Defra, jointly with the Devolved Administrations, commissioned a stocktake or audit of the current framework for managing coastal activities in the UK; looking at current practice, legislation, institutions and stakeholders. The final report with conclusions was published in April 2004.
- ICZM in the UK: a stocktake - final report
The Stocktake presented a mixed picture of the current level of integrated management in the UK. There were good examples at the local level where voluntary integrated action to resolve conflicts had been successful.
The Stocktake also demonstrated that coastal fora/partnerships were an effective way of moving ICZM forward at local level.
Following the UK Stocktake the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations have been preparing separate draft national strategies on either ICZM or more generally on marine and coastal management. A consultation seeking views on how we can best promote and implement an integrated approach to the management of the coastal zone (ICZM) in England, was published for consultation in 2006. The summary of responses was published in June 2007.
EU evaluation of the ICZM Recommendation
In 2007, the European Commission reviewed progress on the recommendation, and decided that improvements were being achieved across Europe, although in some cases slowly. The Commission issued a Communication concluding that no further actions or new legislation was needed at this stage.
- Evaluation of ICZM in Europe (PDF on European Commission website)
- Communication from the Commission (PDF on Eur-Lex website)
Marine Bill
The principles of ICZM are embedded throughout relevant proposals in the Draft Marine Bill published on 3 April 2008. The Bill proposals offer a real opportunity to join up marine management with existing arrangements on land, in a way that we could never do before. Marine planning in particular will offer new opportunities for coastal regulators and communities to have a say in the way the marine environment is managed, and conversely for marine management to give proper consideration to land planning. ICZM is a priority for UK Government and something we will continue to incorporate at every stage of developing our marine planning system.
Coastal integration does however extend much further than our marine management proposals. It is important that changes we make to marine planning are considered alongside other changes being made to planning structures on land, and are made to work effectively with them. To help consideration of how these processes fit together, we intend to publish a document in the summer 2008, setting out the initiatives being taken forward across Government, which will contribute to or improve coastal integration.
Project: ME1405 - The Financial Benefits to Working in Partnership at the Coast.
Defra in partnership with the Local Government Association’s Special Interest Group on Coastal Issues and the Coastal Partnerships Working Group commissioned Entec Ltd to assess the benefits to partners of working in partnership at the coast, and where possible to quantify these benefits in financial terms. The Project Final Report and executive summary were published in July 2008 and are now available to download through the links below. Hard copies may be available through the contact email below.
- Project Final Report (PDF 2,1 MB)
- Executive Summary - ‘Profiting from Partnership – Putting a price on member benefits’ (PDF 960 KB)
Contact us
Email: iczm@defra.gsi.gov.uk
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Page last modified: 18 July 2008
Page published: 12 August 2002