Stakeholder participation in the integrated coastal zone management of small island states

Abstract

The characteristics of small island States, whether it is the size, population or economic activity, are directly related to the coast. Islands are coastal entities and it becomes a priority to have adequate management of the coast. A balance is needed between conflicting uses, which may have adverse implications not only from an environmental point of view but also from the economical aspect. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) process is an appropriate tool for coastal management in small island States, by bringing together the different interests of all the coastal stakeholders, which at the end, are closely inter-related. Stakeholder participation is the basis of ensuring effective ICZM. In the process of ICZM, it is crucial to obtain direct contribution from all the sectors that are affected by the decisions aiming to achieve effective coastal management. The research study focuses on whether stakeholder participation is ensuring effective ICZM in small island States (in the Caribbean, AIMS and Pacific regions) or whether it is moving in that direction. The study shows that although the ICZM process is based on the involvement of stakeholder participation from different sectors, the coastal stakeholders in small island States are not being fully involved in the process. The current situation in small island States is, that the benefits of the ICZM process cannot be achieved completely. Greater efforts are needed for the stakeholder participation to increase, and hence the coastal stakeholders will contribute more throughout the plan preparation and the plan implementation stage. The research shows that stakeholder participation in the ICZM process on small island States is only moving in the direction to become fully embedded in the process. Stakeholder participation in small island states is currently not ensuring an effective ICZM process.