ICM Basics   Introduction What Is the Coast? What Is Management? What Does Integrated Mean? What Is Integrated Coastal Management? What Triggers the Need for ICM? What Are Its Guiding Principles? What Are the Functions of ICM? What Capacity Is Needed for ICM? What Kinds of Institutions Carry Out ICM? References     "Local community concerns are always important in ICM processes, particularly with regard to inland areas and coastal lands. On the other hand, the national government's role becomes increasingly important as one goes farther offshore."

Various kinds of "capacity" at national, regional, and local levels are needed to successfully carry out an integrated coastal management program: (section drawn from Cicin-Sain and Knecht, 1990) -Legal and administrative capacity--for example, to designate a coastal zone, to develop and carry out coastal plans, to regulate development in vulnerable zones, and to designate areas of particular concern. -Financial capacity---adequate financial resources to carry out the planning and implementation of coastal management efforts. - Technical capacity--information gathering and monitoring of coastal and marine ecosystems and processes, patterns of human use, and the effectiveness of government coastal management programs. Establishment and maintenance of coastal database and information system. - Human resources capacity --personnel with interdisciplinary training in social sciences (including law and planning), natural and physical sciences, and engineering. Also, public awareness and understanding of the coastal ocean environment and the problems and opportunities it offers. Virtually every coastal nation, from the smallest Pacific island governments to large developed nations, has some sort of coastal management activity already in place. Typically, these involve programs for management of fisheries activities, protection of sensitive habitats such as wetlands, mangrove forests, and coral reefs, and, perhaps, management of a system of national parks. In addition, more and more often, there is a department of the environment or an environmental unit responsible for dealing with air and water pollution and solid waste. These programs are typically organized on a sectoral basis, with separate departments or ministries for fisheries, natural resources, the environment, and so forth. Local staff are often supplemented by visiting consultancies of various duration, and the nature of the programs undertaken is often influenced by the wishes of donor institutions or nations. Thus, an early step in formulating an lCM program is assessing the existing capacity of the nation or coastal community to undertake the program. Obviously, it is imperative to identify (and, indeed, reinforce and build on) program elements that are performing well and to pinpoint weaknesses and gaps. In this respect, at least six aspects of the existing management programs will need special scrutiny: 1. Adequacy of the laws, decrees, and regulations under which the present management programs operate. 2. Adequacy of administration and execution of the program. 3. Adequacy of access to needed expertise (legal, scientific and technical, public administration, economic). 4. Adequacy of available resources (funding, trained staff, facilities). 5. Effectiveness of the programs (enforcement, compliance, etc.). 6. Public participation in the programs (existence of public hearings and all appeals mechanism, transparency of the process).   (top)

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