Conflict Management and Consensus-Building for Integrated Coastal Zone Management — Does Stakeholder Involvement Fit to the Baltic Sea Region?

Abstract

The coastal zones are economically, socially and ecologically verydiverse. Spatial management and planning processes very often base ontechnical, ecological and economic expertise only. They often lackstakeholder involvement and, therefore, are substantially missing thesocial dimension of conflicts. The picture changed after the Rio Summitin 1992. We have seen an increasing effort towards stakeholderinvolvement also in the management of coastal zones for the last tenyears. There are many reports on different types of activity in variouscoastal cities and regions around the world available now. In SE Asia orin Latin America, people focus, for instance, on a sustainablemanagement of mangroves to support subsistence economies; ICZM is stillan issue with the state or state authorities in the economic zone inNorth America but a joint stakeholder approach in the drainage basin ofthe Chesapeake Bay. The opportunities for ICZM changed in the Baltic Searegion after the collapse of the Iron Curtain about ten years ago.International and interregional co-operation evolves, and the freetransfer of knowledge and experience supports the improvement of theoverall ecological situation in the region. Stakeholder involvementsuccessfully takes place on the local level and on the level of smallregions. International projects, founded by the EU, strongly encouragesocial participation and try to connect the local and regionalinitiatives. Stakeholder involvement will add an important dimension toICZM in the Baltic Sea and will add the social dimension to completemanagement tools such as technical and economic planning fordecision-making.