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Integrated Coastal Zone Management

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Countryside and coastal access

Countryside and coastal access
There are rights of way to walk on 20% of Wales – this includes the Wales Coast Path.
boats on a beach
Our Coastal Zone Management Strategy aims to ensure all sea and coastal users have a say in the way the coast is developed and used.

What is Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)?

The coast is an essential part of Welsh life - economically, environmentally, socially and recreationally.  We need to manage the protection and development of the Welsh coast to ensure it can be sustainably used, enjoyed and valued by us and by future generations.  The management of the coast is the responsibility of everyone that uses it or has an interest in it, from government to a local and individual level.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) aims to bring together all parties that develop, manage and use the coast; to combine opinions and to ensure it is sustainably managed.

European Recommendation

In 2002, European Member States adopted a Recommendation on implementing Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe. The European Union (EU) Recommendation on ICZM suggests that national ICZM strategies should:

  • Take a long term view;
  • Involve a broad approach;
  • Have adaptive management;
  • Work with natural processes;
  • Ensure the support and involvement of relevant administrative bodies;
  • Have participatory planning;
  • Use a combination of instruments; and
  • Reflect local characteristics.

This recommendation can be found on the Europa Website.

Visit: Europa website (external link)

Information on ICZM can also be found on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Website.

Visit: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (external link)