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A Guide to Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Canada Brochure

Bordered by oceans on three sides (Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific), Canada is a country with virtually unparalleled marine and coastal resources.

Canada has the world's longest coastline and the second largest continental shelf. Stretched-out as a single continuous line, Canada's coastline would encircle the Earth more than six times. Forming a portion of this coastline are Canada's Arctic islands, the largest archipelago in the world.

Eight of Canada's ten provinces and all of its northern territories are coastal, as are many of its major cities. Approximately 23% of Canadians live in coastal communities.

Canada's coastal endowment has enormous potential to benefit both present and future generations. Coastal areas are crucial for transportation, fishing and aquaculture, recreation and tourism, and subsistence.

In economic terms, substantial wealth is generated from Canadian marine resources. For residents of the coastal zone, however, its value in social, cultural, and spiritual terms far exceeds its economic worth.

Today many of Canada's coastal riches are threatened. Pressures include increasing and competing demands for the resources themselves as well as from unrelated human developments, not only along and adjacent to the coast, on land and in the water, but even from global changes brought about by human activity many thousands of kilometres away.

Canada's Oceans Act and Integrated Management: Canada's Oceans Act calls on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to address the numerous and compelling problems and economic development opportunities facing Canada's coasts through the development of an Oceans Strategy. The Act further provides for the development and implementation, with stakeholders, of plans for the integrated management of activities in or affecting estuaries, coastal and marine waters.

What is ICZM?

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a continuous planning process in which stakeholders and regulators reach general agreement on the best mix of conservation, sustainable resource use and economic development for coastal areas. Goals to be achieved through an ICZM process include:

• conservation, based on an ecosystem approach, for the purposes of maintaining biological diversity and productivity of coastal environments and preserving ecosystem health;
• sustainable use of coastal resources; and
• economic diversification and the generation of wealth for the benefit of all Canadians, but in particular, coastal communities.

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What is the Coastal Zone ?

There are many definitions for the "coastal zone". In general it is considered to consist of the coast itself, coastal watersheds and the lower limits of large drainage basins, and the area seaward to the limit of the zone of influence of land-based activities. For the purposes of developing integrated management plans, the definition should be interpreted flexibly, to ensure that all activities and issues having a bearing on the planning area are addressed. ICZM in Canada: There are unique socio-cultural, environmental and economic factors affecting each of Canada's three coasts. These factors have a strong bearing on how ICZM is being applied at the local scale. Nevertheless, there are a number of key elements that are found in all successful ICZM initiatives. These elements, which are essential to the development of ICZM in Canada include:

• a co-ordination, consultation and planning process, designed to derive general agreement, but providing for conflict resolution, when required;
• a process to facilitate full stakeholder involvement in community-based decision making, supported as required by appropriate levels and agencies of government;
• a comprehensive program of education, research and communication;
• an improved system of access to information and to regulatory processes; and
• a program of monitoring, evaluation and feedback.

What are the Roles of Coastal Stakeholders?

uccessful integrated coastal zone management depends on the active participation of Canada's coastal stakeholders, each of whom holds a direct or indirect responsibility for the conservation and protection of the oceans and their resources. These stakeholders include:

• other ministers, boards and agencies of the Government of Canada
• provincial and territorial governments
• affected Aboriginal organisations
• coastal communities and
• any other persons or bodies with an interest in Canada's coastal zones.

What is DFO's Role in ICZM?

As the federal lead agency for oceans, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recognises the interests and roles of other federal departments, provinces and territories in the coastal zone. Under the authority of the Oceans Act, DFO is required to:

• co-operate, prepare and disseminate, with stakeholders, educational materials and information to advance the understanding of coastal processes and ICZM;
• co-ordinate the planning and management of its coastal regulatory activities with those of other regulatory authorities;
• draw other stakeholders into the process to integrate the planning and management of their activities;
• provide specialised information, scientific and technical advice and research on the coastal marine environment and its living resources required to develop integrated management plans; and
• enforce environmental provisions under DFO authority.

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Linkages to Related Initiatives:

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), ICZM and Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) are all fundamentally linked components necessary for the delivery of the Oceans Strategy. The establishment of MPAs will be one means by which coastal planners will be able to promote the conservation of coastal resources. Similarly, measures of MEQ need to be developed as a design element in integrated management plans. These measures will also serve to monitor the effectiveness of the integrated management plans.

There are numerous complementary federal, provincial, territorial and Aboriginal initiatives contributing to increasing the effectiveness of conservation and management of the coastal zone. Notable among them, because of its national scope, the National Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (NPA) is focused on minimising the input of contaminants from land-based sources and the impact of land-based activities in general.

For further information, visit us at:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

Published by:
Communications Directorate
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6