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REVIEW OF INTEGRATION AMONG PLANS FOR THE COAST IN SCOTLAND: Analysis of the SCF Coastal Plans Inventory
CHAPTER TWO CONTEXT
2.1 This research study is one of a series undertaken by the SCF on the state of ICZM in Scotland in anticipation of an EU Council Recommendation on ICZM. These reports can be viewed at the SCF's web site at www.scotland.gov.uk. Studies also underway include "current state of the art" in ICZM systems, the effectiveness of local coastal fora in delivering ICZM and a scoping study on the socio-economic patterns of the coastal zone.
2.2 For the purpose of the research a review has been undertaken of the variety of definitions used for ICZM. The research depends on having a practical and comprehensible definition of ICZM. It has been concluded that the definition quoted in the recent Cordah research report Indicators to Monitor the Progress of ICZM: a review of world-wide practice (Cordah 2001) is appropriate and is therefore adopted here, that is:
"The multidisciplinary process that brings all those involved in the development, management and use of the coast within the framework which facilitates the integration of their interests and responsibilities. The aim is to achieve common objectives and to provide programmes for the protection and sustainable management of coastal resources and environments."
2.3 ICZM has gradually been established in Scotland and is mainly driven at the local level. National policy has developed from Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is enshrined in development planning policy through NPPG13 Coastal Planning. In parallel with the national policy development, Scottish Natural Heritage ran the "Focus on Firths" project, which encouraged a number of local coastal fora to be set up. These fora do not currently cover the whole of the Scottish coastline, and are voluntary partnerships usually supported by the statutory authorities and draw on members with a wide range of interests, (social, economic and environmental). They rely on a holistic, "bottom-up" approach to coastal planning, seeking a broad consensus, to influence those bodies with the regulatory powers to determine policy and planning initiatives. Coastal initiatives can comprise of plans produced by coastal fora as well as management plans produced by normally the local authority to develop ICZM ideas. Although coastal management plans have been developed in several areas, the extent to which these strategies influence or deliver ICZM is not fully appreciated.
2.4 The EU has been engaged in developing ICZM policy over recent years. The EU Demonstration Programme on ICZM, that was based on analysis of some 35 case studies and ran for 3 years (1997-2000), included projects that employed the fora approach, which included the Forth Estuary Forum in Scotland. The Demonstration Programme resulted in a Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on "Integrated Coastal Zone Management: A Strategy for Europe" (COM/00/547) and a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Recommendation concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe (COM/00/545).
2.5 The EU Demonstration Programme identified the ways in which integration should occur in the plans and strategies for effective coastal management. :
- "horizontal integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans amongst different sectors, services and agencies at a given level of government;
- vertical integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans from national through to local levels of government;
- territorial integration taking into account the interrelationships and interdependencies between the terrestrial, estuarine, littoral and offshore components of the coastal zone;
- the consistent integration of sustainable development objectives policies, plans and management strategies through time."
2.6 Co-ordination of coastal management strategies is hindered by a number of factors:
- "Fragmentation of institutional arrangements including gaps and overlaps in responsibilities within and between administrative levels;
- Lack of awareness of the socio-economic and environmental benefits of effective coastal management;
- Perceived conflicts between short-term socio-economic needs and longer-term sustainability issues;
- Lack of implementation and enforcement of key aspects of planning and environmental legislation;
- Competition amongst sectoral agencies or amongst neighbouring local authorities, sometimes worsened by political rivalry."
2.7 The aim of the SCF's proposed national strategy is to establish a framework for the future progress in ICZM for the whole of the Scottish coastline. The Scottish Executive, in association with SCF, has recently published research on how the existing Scottish local coastal fora are implementing the eight principles of ICZM identified in the Commission's Demonstration Programme on ICZM, namely that ICZM should be based on:
- A Broad "Holistic" Perspective (Thematic and Geographic)
- A Long Term Perspective
- Adaptive Management (responding to new information and conditions) During a Gradual Process
- Local Specificity
- Working with Natural Processes
- Participatory Planning
- Support & Involvement of all Relevant Administrative Bodies
- Use of a Combination of Instruments
2.8 It is emphasised that a national strategy should build on the work of the coastal fora and ensure the current "bottom-up" approach is not lost in the development of "top-down" national policy (Gubbay 2001). However, the strategy would rely on information on the extent to which current ICZM initiatives have been successful in Scotland, and on what is happening in areas that the coastal fora do not presently cover. Determining success criteria and the measurement of success would be one of the potential outcomes of a review, to which this report contributes, of the current level of integration between the policies and plans for the coast. The extent to which existing policy such as NPPG13 is effective in assisting this integration is also considered. The key outcomes would include the extent to which a national strategy could improve integration, and other measures that could deliver results, such as guidelines for coastal initiatives or standards on the content/scope of management strategies.
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