 |
Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
 |
|
Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
|
 |
This document reports on the activities of CSI for the period October 1996 - March 1997.
* * *
Environment and development in coastal regions and small islands (CSI)
A meeting of experts in the natural and social sciences, as well as in culture, was convened (Paris, 25-27 November 1996) to provide guidance for the further development of the CSI project. The meeting endorsed the cross-sectoral approach adopted, and the use of pilot projects, to field test procedures and develop concepts and methodologies, which will provide the basis for elaborating wise practices for sustainable coastal development. The project implementation is progressing satisfactorily. Under the first pilot project, centred on the integrated management of freshwater resources in the South Pacific and along the North and West African coasts: a survey on community knowledge about effects of climate change on freshwater resources has been initiated in Kiribati, in the Pacific region; for the North African coast, a series of fund-raising and consultancy missions, focusing on urban development and freshwater resources, have been organized; and, in West Africa, the survey of groundwater quality and hygiene in the coastal city of Yeumbeul (region of Dakar, Senegal) was completed. Under the second pilot project, focusing on the social context of coastline instability, coastal erosion impact surveys in Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania were completed through the Nairobi Office and a public awareness campaign initiated in Kenya; in the Caribbean, the assessment of socio-economic and cultural issues related to beach management is being carried out through a questionnaire; audio-visual materials and summary reports on beach erosion and coastal management, and on hurricane impact on beach changes, were issued; a regional workshop was organized at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (21-25 October 1996) on 'Integrated Framework for the Management of Beach Resources within the Small Caribbean Islands'. In Alexandria, Egypt, a workshop on submarine archaeology and coastal management (7-11 April 1997) brought together experts in archaeology, coastal erosion and coastal management; the resulting action plan considers options for continued conservation of coastal heritage sites .
With respect to the third pilot project which deals with integrated management of biological diversity for sustainable coastal development in peri-urban areas, surveys of the Senegalese coastal fringe were carried out, through the Dakar Office, on the rehabilitation of mangrove forests and the protection of the sociocultural identity and biodiversity of the Yoff coastal area and community (region of Dakar); in Southeast Asia, a strategic planning workshop of stakeholders of the Ulugan Bay area (Palawan, Philippines, 27 - 29 November 1996) developed an action plan regarding the priority activities to be undertaken; a 'coastal clean-up campaign', launched along Jakarta Bay, was organized by the Jakarta Office during September-October 1996 and in January 1997; environmental training for young fishermen, teachers and students was organized from 23 to 27 March 1997 at Pari Island (offshore Jakarta); the increased public awareness on waste recycling and re-use raised by these initiatives encouraged local NGOs to carry out garbage mapping and collection of data on the water quality of the rivers that cross Jakarta. The sustainable development of the Rio de la Plata estuary was the subject of an international conference (Montevideo, Uruguay, 25-27 November 1996) organized by the International Development Research Centre, Canada, and the UNESCO Montevideo Office; and a follow-up project with sociocultural and economic components is supported (US $1.2 million) by IDRC .
Within the framework of the fourth pilot project on sustainable development and coastal ecosystems productivity, a regional symposium on enhancement of coastal productivity in the Middle East through mariculture development was organized through the UNESCO Doha Office (Elat, Israel, 14-16 October 1996): CSI pilot project activities in the Gulf Region, launched through an international conference on coastal environments (Bahrain, 6-9 April, 1997), were supported through the UNESCO Doha Office; and in the Caribbean, preliminary surveys on human activities impinging upon coastal habitats are being carried out .
The field training and capacity-building activities on the CSI platform included the preparation and dissemination of didactic materials on the impact of toxic micro-algae on coastal areas of Latin America and the Caribbean; through the UNESCO Montevideo Office; support was provided through the Port-of-Spain Office to the Caribbean Sea Associated Schools project; in Haiti, a national seminar (Port-au-Prince, 10-14 December 1996), was held to evaluate, rehabilitate and properly manage the coastal environment and resources; and a regional training course on remote sensing techniques in coastal research and management was organized in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (21-26 December 1996) by the UNESCO Doha Office .
The first African Chair in integrated coastal management and sustainable development was established at the Dakar University (Senegal, April 1997). Regional postgraduate courses were given by international professors in the framework of the Chair in coastal sciences at the University of Concepcion (Chile). The first Russian B.Sc. course in integrated coastal management was launched during a workshop at St. Petersburg (29-30 May 1997).
Two publication series 'CSI info' and 'Coastal region and small island papers' were established to disseminate CSI information and results: the CSI Web page was revised and updated; a mirror site, in Russian, was established in St. Petersburg .
