Result Area 4

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

 

The improvement of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) was at the core of ReCoMaP. The Programme supported local, national and regional stakeholders in the application of ICZM Principles in Coastal Development. The following key outputs were identified as being crucial for sustainable, effective and efficient ICZM in the WIO:

 

1.

Adaptation, understanding and application of ICZM principles, approaches and tools;

2.

Functional frameworks of ICZM institutional actors and stakeholders;

3.

Central ICZM coordinative bodies such as National ICZM Committees or Commission and a Regional ICZM Policy Platform;

4.

ICZM information and knowledge networking and communication; and

5.

A Regionalisation of ICZM.

 

 

With support from ReCoMaP, ICZM has significantly advanced in the Western Indian Ocean Region. It is no longer 'just' the conservation and sustainable use of coastal environments and their resources alone, but sustainable coastal development governed by the application of ICZM Principles that has now been accepted as the principal outcome at local, national and regional scales.

 

Specific ICZM Achievements with ReCoMaP Support

 

ICZM at the Regional Level

  • The Regional ICZM Protocol to the Nairobi Convention in the Western Indian Ocean
  • A Regional ICZM Policy Forum in the Western Indian Ocean

 

ICZM at National Levels

  • National ICZM Committees formally established in all WIO Countries
  • National ICZM Strategies, Policies and Plans developed in all WIO Countries
  • Creation and consolidation of national ICZM Frameworks of government and non-government stakeholders

 

ICZM Capacity Development

  • Development and delivery of ICZM Training Courses and Workshops
  • Development and publication of comprehensive ICZM Training material

 

Financial, economic, planning, decentralisation, social and other government sectors that were before not truly involved in ICZM have started to join forces with the traditionally more 'environmental' sectors like environment, forestry, agriculture and fisheries to form functional multi-sector ICZM Frameworks.

 

Between 2007 and 2011, ReCoMaP was able to support all Countries to develop, endorse and implement National ICZM Plans. Moreover, all Countries were able to reach beyond this target and improve their national ICZM legislation as a whole, which ultimately contributes significantly to the actual implementation of National ICZM Plans. In combination with the establishment and consolidation of dedicated legal ICZM Structures in ICZM Frameworks consisting of cross sector actors and stakeholders, the application of ICZM principles, approaches and methods to Coastal and Marine Management Processes has significantly advanced in all Countries.

 

ReCoMaP supported the strengthening of already existing, as well as the establishing of multi-sector ICZM Frameworks (structure, legal) with National ICZM Committees as their core units in all countries. One of the principal responsibilities of these committees is the development and implementation of National ICZM Plans. These National ICZM Plans coordinate Coastal Development in the countries and did, through a multilateral dialogue lead to a set of ICZM Principles in the Region in the form of the ICZM Protocol to the Nairobi Convention (draft). ReCoMaP also developed specific Tools and Training for ICZM Policy Development, ICZM Planning Processes and ICZM Monitoring, which have been adopted by the ICZM stakeholders at national and regional levels. Sustainable coastal development, based on ICZM principles requires adequate ICZM Monitoring. The establishing of such ICZM Monitoring systems was thus another component, which ReCoMaP supported in all focus countries.

 

The creation of these legal and organisational ICZM Frameworks, being effectively immersed into National Policy, Planning and Implementation Processes is seen by the WIO and ESA Countries as one of the core achievements of ReCoMaP.