Evaluation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in ...

Evaluation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in Europe – Final Report
In the following tables the observation of the principles of good ICZM
shall be analyzed by each country.
Table 17: Degree of Implementation of ICZM Principles in the Mediterranean Countries
Degree of Implementation of ICZM Principles in the Mediterranean Countries
Croatia
1) Is there a holistic
thematic and geographic
perspective in the
process?
2) Is there a long-term
perspective envisaged?
3) Is an adaptive
management approach
applied during a gradual
process?
4) Is the process localcontext
specific?
5) Does the ICZM respect
and work with natural
processes?
6) Is the process based on
participatory planning and
management?
7) Does the process
support and involve all
relevant administrative
bodies?
8) Is there a balanced
combination of
instruments in planning
and management?
There is no ICZM Strategy in Croatia. The documents that are the closest to it are the Spatial
Planning Strategy of Croatia (1997) and Decree on the Protection of Coastal Areas (2004). The
Strategy marginally tackles the issue of coastal areas, and does not mention ICZM as a tool.
While developing the spatial structure, the coastal zone is defined as a special spatial unit
comprising of the 7 coastal counties, therefore on the purely administrative basis. No effort was
made to outline specific programme for the coastal area and to integrate associated coastal
sectors. The Decree is purely a sectoral document which rests upon some general planning
principles, but in the subsequent sections it deals exclusively with the details of the coastal spatial
development.
The Spatial Strategy has a long term perspective, although it is very vague about the target year.
The future population growth is targeted at 2015 which is about 20 years time horizon based on
the year when the Strategy is being prepared. The remaining sectors analysed in the strategy do
not have a target year. The Decree does not have a target year defined. The needs of current
and future generations are explicitly considered in the Strategy, albeit at a very general level,
while in the Decree they are not mentioned at all.
An adaptive planning or management process is not being considered neither in the Strategy nor
in the Decree. Equally so, the accompanying regulation on the contents of the plans doesn’t deal
with this issue. It is left to consultants to devise their own processes. The government planners
are required to prepare certain documents (conceptual plan, draft final report, final report), but the
characteristics of the planning process are not described.
The measures to protect coastal settlements and cultural heritage are envisaged in the legislation
as well as in the Strategy and a Decree. Again, they are related to the spatial planning and could
be adapted for the purposes of ICZM.
The origins of the carrying capacity for tourism are in Croatia. PAP/RAC has developed a relevant
methodology 15 years ago. The methodology has been tested in Vis and Brijuni islands. The
results have been used in the preparation of respective spatial plans. The Ministry responsible for
tourism is very positive about the future application of the Carrying Capacity Assessment for
Tourism, in particular in the coastal areas. There are no examples of the implementation of
renaturation measures.
There are almost no examples of the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the ICZM. The
preparation of the COAST PDF B Project, however, is a good example, maybe the first of its kind
in Croatia, of stakeholders’ involvement in ICZM. There are no examples of institutinalised public
participation, except on an ad-hoc basis where stakeholders have gathered around an issue in
order to fight a certain decision that they think is harmful for the environment.
As there is no institutionalised ICZM process, one can only infer from the spatial planning
process. The local governments are involved in that process, because they are primarily
responsible for its implementation. The vertical and horizontal links are generally well developed
in spatial planning. It is hoped that once the ICZM process will be established that these positive
experiences will be applied as well. However, currently the institutions responsible for ICZM,
mainly indirectly, are not nested with a coherent structure. The decision making responsibilities
are not defined at all at any institutional level.
There is no coherent system of plannign and management instruments, neither for spatial
planning nor for ICZM. The laws and regulations for spatial planning are generally in place (Law
on Spatial planning, regulation for the contents of plans, Decree on the Protection of Coastal
Area), while those for ICZM remain to be developed.
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