Integrated Coastal Management: An International Priority

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
Commission Océanographique Intergouvernementale (COI)
Comisión Oceanográfica Intergubernamental (COI)

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30 March 2000: Integrated Coastal Management: An International Priority

ITEM: 003
SOURCE/AUTHOR: Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain, Co-Director, Center for the Study of Marine Policy, University of Delaware at bcs@udel.edu
DATE: 30/03/2000

It is our pleasure to announce the global web service on integrated coastal management (ICM) ( http://www.nos.noaa.gov/icm/), a cooperative undertaking among the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO; the National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Center for the Study of Marine Policy (University of Delaware); and the World Bank, in conjunction with a number of other partners around the world. Although there are many web services that provide information on various aspects of integrated coastal management, we saw the need to create a web site exclusively devoted to developments and advances in ICM at the international, regional, and national levels.

As you can see by consulting the site index, we will strive to provide timely and accurate information on the following:

definitions of basic concepts in ICM (ICM Basics); new developments on ICM from the international, regional, and national levels (News);

profiles of the status of ICM in various regions and overview of ICM activities of global organizations (Global & Regional Information);

national profiles of what various countries are doing on ICM, with country contacts (National Information);

examples of specific ICM problems (such as non-point pollution) with guidance on resources for addressing those problems (Problems & Case Studies);

the actual text for the major international guidelines which have been prepared on ICM (such as the World Bank's) (ICM Guidelines); summaries of the ICM-related provisions of major international agreements (ICM Prescriptions);

information on education and training in the field (Education and Training);

a list of selected ICM publications (ICM Publications); the actual text of key coastal and ocean laws from various nations (Coastal Laws);

a list of upcoming ICM conferences (ICM meetings); and

a guide to major international institutions related to ICM and links to their web site and those of other relevant organizations and groups in the field (Links).

We are currently working on preparing descriptions of the coastal management programs of all coastal countries and solicit the collaboration of practitioners and scholars with an interest in preparing National Coastal Management profiles.

We earnestly solicit your cooperation to make this web service useful.

We look forward to receiving your comments, questions, and information on ICM developments in your country or region. You may write to Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain (project lead) at bcs@udel.edu or to Miriam Balgos at mbalgos@udel.edu).

We look forward to hearing from you!