Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Description

This book presents diverse case studies from around the World, including many Asian countries, Africa, North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Island Nations, and elsewhere. The book’s 39 chapters are organized according to seven interrelated themes including global to local scales of ICZM, human dimensions and social, physical and biological aspects, and key closely linked topics ranging from biodiversity conservation to hazards and risk management, the impact of climate change, and the application of remote sensing and geospatial technologies. The outcome of this compilation is to synthesize recent case study experiences, highlighting the changing global scenario of ICZM, the high demand for coastal resources, current lack of governance, and the need to import and export both techniques and expertise, including the importance of protecting more vulnerable coastal sites from natural calamities. Ultimately, this book provides a means to help address and solve the complexity that exists between coastal systems and anthropogenic activities.

The book will be of major interest to all those interested in building more effective coastal management systems and institutions, including coastal managers, scientists, planners, academics, teachers, young researchers, and graduate students.

Topics Covered
• ICZM – Global to Local Scales
• Human Dimensions in ICZM
• Coastal Erosion, Protection, and Development
• Special Areas and Species in the Coastal Zone
• Natural Hazards and Disasters in the Coastal Zone
• Climate Change Impacts and ICZM
• Tools for Data Gathering and Analysis in ICZM

The UN IPCC, Nobel Peace Prize 2007, states:
“Assessments of adaptation strategies for coastal zones have shifted emphasis away from hard protection structures of shorelines (e.g., seawalls, groins) toward soft protection measures (e.g., beach nourishment), managed retreat, and enhanced resilience of biophysical and socioeconomic systems in coastal regions. Adaptation options for coastal and marine management are most effective when incorporated with policies in other areas, such as disaster mitigation plans and land-use plans.”
― Excerpt from the ‘SUMMARY FOR POLICYMAKERS, CLIMATE CHANGE 2001:IMPACTS, ADAPTATION, AND VULNERABILITY’, A Report of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC).

Key Advantage/Highlights
The modern natural disaster Sumatra earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami have made a lot of impact not only on the coastal environment but also on the stakeholder’s perception on mitigation and management of coastal hazards. This disaster has made many coastal managers / scientists to realize the importance of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) not only to manage the resources through community participation but also to take efforts in preparedness for this kind of disasters. Hence an international team of eight coastal zone management scientists in China, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, UK, and USA have taken up the task of compiling a world class updated reference book on “Integrated Coastal Zone Management – The Global Challenge”, which could be extensively used for education, training and capacity building activities throughout the world.

Readership: The book will be of major interest to all those interested in building more effective coastal management systems and institutions, including coastal managers, scientists, planners, academics, teachers, young researchers, and graduate students.

Reviews: The recent report from UN-Habitat pointed out that cities in the coastal zone are extremely vulnerable. Other reports have shown the increasingly destructive impacts natural hazards have had on coastal areas in recent times. In many cases, it has been clearly shown that destruction of natural ecosystems and unplanned ‘development’ are the obvious cause for vulnerability of coastal areas. It is at this juncture that a volume that deals with the experiences worldwide on integrated coastal zone management is welcome.
— Dr Ahana Lakshmi, TRINet For the Coast: The Resource and Information Network.