Eritrea's Coastal Marine and Island Biodiversity Conservation Project

Introduction
Eritrea gained its independence in 1993 after 30 years of armed struggle with Ethiopia. Due to this situation, little or no developmental activities were
carried out in the coastal area. As the result, the country owns relatively pristine coastal environment.
Recent developmental activities in general infrastructure, tourism, fishing, petroleum or gas exploration, maritime transport, etc., are threatening the
integrity of the coastal ecosystems. But still Eritrea has the advantage of its relatively pristine coastal environment to capitalize on and develop the
coastal assets sustainably through Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM).
Integrated coastal zone management is an on-going process involving not only planning, but implementation, monitoring and making adjustment based
on monitoring results and new information or opportunities. For these reasons ICAM is a priority on the National Development Agenda of the
Government of Eritrea. Its implementation requires considerable effort, including assessment of the state of the coast based on existing national
policies, rules and regulations, and studies; training of managers, scientists and operatives, and identification of information gaps, specific natural
resources and socio-economic surveys.
The preparatory phase also requires the involvement of all stakeholders at the national, regional and community levels to create awareness and induce
behavioral change in addition to the advantages of sound preparation and smooth implementation of the plan. This phase should also include the
definition and establishment of the institutional mechanisms to sustain the ICAM program and the selection of tools and methodologies that will be
used during the process.
This first version of the “State of the Coast” is meant to serve as one of the building blocks for the preparation of the Integrated Coastal Area
Management Plan and associated guidelines by sectors.
State of the Coast Eritrea, 2006-2007 1