Comparative analysis of coastal zone Management strategies in china, USA, Australia and the EU

Abstract

Against a background of global integration, the introduction and the adoption of advanced and elaborate coastal management theories within different countries is becoming commonplace. Sustainable development is an over-arching concept which pervades and permeate into most countries’ policies. Nowadays, as emerging from coastal settlement and urbanization trends, the most preferable place to reside in the world is the coastal area, which provides a kaleidoscope of services and amenities, with such zones constituting the most densely-populated areas in the world.The anthropogenic activities inevitably pose a great threat to the coastal environment, mainly due to the conservation and economic importance of the coastal zone. How to strike a sustainable balance between human needs and the safeguard of the living assets within the coastal zone is a challenging chimera for many state leaders. The U.S was the first country to attempt to address such a challenge through legislation which aims to regulate human activities and ward off coastal resource over-exploitation. In 1972, the Coastal Management Act was adopted in the United States and this has since become the cornerstone of coastal zone management in the world. The success the U.S. achieved under this Act has subsequently prompted many countries into action and thereafter many coastal zone management laws have been passed in different countries and regions, each with their own characteristics. However, some developing countries, such as China, are still coming to grips with the tenets of sustainable coastal development. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of ICZM policy development and implementation in China, the U.S., Australia and the EU. This is achieved both through a descriptive analysis and a literature review of the current status in the regions under review and also through questionnaire on ICZM in China is conducted and recommendation on the need of ICZM legislation in China is concluded.