Towards an integrated approach to the planning and management of coastal environment

The prospects for world population growth are presented. The importance of the world's coastal zone as a provider of the multitude of varying human needs is stressed. The global implications of a substantially larger population continuing to consume the resources of the coastal zone at today's rate are then considered. The requirement to maintain biological diversity and to plan for the needs of future generations is recognised. Coastal management in its widest sense is necessary on a global scale as a mechanism to balance conflicting uses and ensure an equitable allocation of scarce resources. Within this wider context, the circumstances surrounding the planning and management of the coastal zone in the United Kingdom are considered. The procedures for planning the coastline, as presently undertaken by Local Planning Authorities throughout the country, cannot be viewed in isolation. They are linked to the administration and management of the many activities and uses of the coastal zone. The nature of these systems is analysed and the unique physical characteristics of the coastal zone considered. The extent and implications of the demands on coastal resources from a number of competing activities are then outlined. Evidence from organisations with an interest in the coastal zone indicates that the lack of coordination and guidance in the existing system, if not remedied, will lead to further unacceptable losses to valuable habitat and wildlife. The concept of integrated Coastal Zone Management has been advocated as a potential means to balance demands for coastal zone resources, to promote their sustainable use and to resolve conflicts through arrangements based on natural coastal processes rather than administrative boundaries. Following examination of situations in which Coastal Zone Management, in a variety of forms, has been implemented, the benefits of such an approach for the United Kingdom are considered.