ICZM provides a global common thought process and decision-making framework which is flexible enough to find solutions tailored to fit any unique national, regional and local coastline according to each of their respective coastal environment and needs.
ICZM management must embrace a holistic viewpoint of the functions that makeup the complex and dynamic nature of interactions in the coastal environment.
[1] Management framework must be applied to a defined geographical limit (often complicated) and should operate with a high level of integration.
[4] The dynamic processes that occur within the coastal zones produce diverse and productive ecosystems which have been of great importance historically for human populations.
[7] Valuable resources such as fish and minerals are considered common property and are in high demand among coastal dwellers for subsistence, recreation, and economic development.
Human activity in coastal zones often contributes to the degradation of these ecosystems through the extraction of unsustainable quantities of resources.
Given the complexity of human interactions within coastal areas, a holistic approach is considered essential for achieving sustainable outcomes.
[9] As part of the holistic approach ICZM applies, many aspects within a coastal zone are expected to be considered and accounted for.
Public participation and stakeholder involvement is essential in ICZM processes, not only in terms of a democratic approach, but also from a technical–instrumental point of view, in order to reduce decisional conflicts (Ioppolo et al., 2013).
Coasts, being dynamic and influenced by a variety of factors globally, are shaped by processes such as river systems, which can extend far inland and increase the complexity of the coastal zone.
Sustainability entails a continuous process of decision making, so there is never an end-state just a readjustment of the equilibrium between development and the protection of the environment.
The term integration in a coastal management context has many horizontal and vertical aspects, which reflects the complexity of the task and it proves a challenge to implement.
[10] The ‘top-down’ approach of administrative decision making sees problematisation as a tool promoting ICZM through the idea of sustainability.
Public consultation and involvement is very important for current ‘top-down’ approaches, as it can incorporate this ‘bottom-up’ idea into the policies made.
Its wealth of resources have provided for millennia, with regard to ICZM how does management become legally binding if the dominant perception of the coast is of a common area available to all?
[6] Enforcing restrictions or change to activities within the coastal zone can be difficult as these resources are often very important to people's livelihoods.
The idea of common property itself is not all that clean, This perception can lead to cumulative exploitation of resources – the very problem this management seeks to extinguish.
The versatility of natural sources in coastal areas has made private and governmental users and investors to participate in this section to gain the utmost profits.
Therefore, the necessity of preparation and implementation of management plans for perpetual utilization of existent sources in coastal areas has become inevitable.
These are the following: Algeria, Croatia, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
The ICZM Protocol is a unique legal instrument in the entire international community and the Mediterranean countries are proud of this fact.
Strengthen the capacities of Contracting Parties to implement the Protocol and use in an effective manner ICZM policies, instruments, tools and processes; and 3.
New Zealand is unique as it uses sustainable management within legislation, with a high level of importance placed on to the coastal environment.
[18] This will provide an excellent stepping stone for future initiatives and the development of a fully integrated form of coastal management.