WELCOME
The year of 2013 will mark the 44th anniversary of the Stratton Commission Report to the US Congress, which is considered by many professionals as providing the seed ground for coastal management efforts that became global in future years. Three years later, The Coastal Zone Management Act (1972) paved the way for starting the US coastal zone management programs. The concept and practice was exported to a number of countries in the 1980s, but it took some more years for global dispersion. The Rio Summit (UNCED, 1992) contributed significantly to this effect. For instance, management of coastal zones became a prime target for the Mediterranean in 1995 when the Barcelona Convention was revised and the second phase of the Mediterranean Action Plan was started. The European Union launched the Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in 1996. Similar significant programs and projects were initiated at other parts of the world in the 1990s. The Global Environmental Facility funded large scale projects in different seas under the priority area of biodiversity that had important coastal management components. Rehabilitation of degraded coastal areas and renovation of coastal cities became important fields of research and development in several industrialized countries. In short, significant experiences from these efforts and lessons learnt have accumulated. Parallel to this interest for the practice of integrated coastal management (ICM) at global scale, academic institutions have developed various new educational programs and have advanced human capabilities for addressing coastal challenges. Many tools and instruments, simple and sophisticated, practical and scientific, have been designed and refined for effective integrated coastal management. Several approaches such as “community-based”, “ecosystem-based”, “satoumi” have been developed and applied at different coastal zones. Today, there exist numerous local, regional, national and international projects and programs that aim to either initiate or further develop integrated coastal management along the shores of almost all enclosed seas and oceans.
Over these years, several new issues have emerged, such as adaptation to climate change impacts and disaster prevention, management and mitigation in the coastal zone. Additionally, new approaches such as the blue economy have been introduced.
Therefore, it is timely to convene a global congress for reviewing the past efforts and experiences on ICM with the goal of identifying lessons learnt. Hopefully, this knowledge can help to develop wisdom that would lead us efficiently into the future in our pursuit for sustainability over precious coastal areas of the world.
This Global Congress on Integrated Coastal Management will be the second opportunity for convening as a joint meeting of two major conference series, EMECS and MEDCOAST. The first joint conference that took place in Antalya, Turkey during 9-13 November 1999, was a major success attracting over 500 participants representing 50 countries. We expect that the Global Congress on Integrated Coastal Management, organized at a corner of the magnificent Aegean Sea, enhanced by the charms of the famous tourist resort town of Marmaris and environs, enjoying the rich culture and warm hospitality for which Turkish people are well-known, will serve as a reference event for the future of ICM. Scientists, experts, managers, planners, policy makers, administrators, resource developers, users and conservationists from all corners of the world, are cordially invited!
Conference Topics
A. Coastal systems, Conservation issues
– Geography, geology, geomorphology, sedimentology
– Coastal oceanography
– Coastal and marine ecosystems, biology and ecology
– Marine mammals, endangered species
– Conservation issues, biodiversity, exotic & invasive species
– Coastal ecosystems management
– Rehabilitation of damaged ecosystems
– Coastal and marine protected areas
– Coastal landscapes
B. Integrated Coastal Management (ICM)
– Theoretical framework and case reports
– Coastal management tools and instruments, databases
– Coastal and marine policy, science and policy integration
– Coastal governance, institutional arrangements
– International efforts and programs in ICM
– Legal, economic and social issues
– Environmental / ecological economics, blue economy
– Education, public involvement & NGO role, media role
C. Coastal management issues
– Coastal and submarine archaeology management of ancient sites, monuments and ship wrecks
– Coastal wetlands, dunes, estuaries, deltas and lagoons
– Beaches and their management
– Coastal water resources and watershed management
– Water quality management, water and sediment pollution, land based sources, hazardous wastes, algal blooms, bioindicators of pollution and monitoring, pollution control
– Marine litter, solid wastes management
– Transboundary pollution issues, legal context
– Environmental impacts, coastal degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
– Disaster prevention, mitigation and management
– Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies
D. Sustainable development of coastal areas
– Sustainable development concerns, indicators, sustainable development of coastal and marine resources
– Coastal and maritime spatial planning
– Urban development issues waterfront renovation
– Coastal tourism planning and management, ecotourism, recreation, marine tourism
– Living resources, fisheries, mariculture
– Transportation issues: oil transport and pollution
– Siting of major industrial facilities
E. Coastal engineering, Modelling, Decision support systems, Data management
Coastal, environmental and ecosystem modelling
Coastal hydrodynamics
Coastal sediment transport and erosion
Coastal processes, erosion control and shoreline management
Coastal and ecocoastal engineering
Water level changes, sea level rise and consequences
Coastal and marine monitoring
Use of remote sensing technology and geographic information systems in coastal management
