Aquatic Pollution and Coastal Management

Unit 14 : Coastal zone management and information system

14.1.Need for Management
By the law of nature, certain thing is common to mankind such as air, running water, the sea and shores of the sea. These commons are always under central government authority and are often the main focus of attention in coastal resources conservation. Most governments have some variety of environmental resources management and development control programmes. (pollution control, natural hazards management, biodiversity maintenance, EIA etc.)
But these programmes are typically operated by a variety of agencies and are co-ordinated with a result that each agency goes into own way, disregarding others. This non-coordinated and nonintegrated traditional sectoral approach in decision making using only economic criteria has failed to certain large scale destruction of natural resources and the environment.
The multiple uses are not always compatible and may result in wide array of problems for resource users and decision making and there is no one ‘right’ way to manage coastal resources. Hence, there is a need to devise programmatic and holistic approach so that all stakeholders are involved in decision-making.
ICZM is the recommended approach and that has been internationally adopted and that provides a frame work for broad participation and for resolution of conflicts between a variety of economic development and resource conservation needs. It is multi-sectional and seeks to integrate and coordinate activities of existing users.