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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal region and small island papers 12
INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT IN URUGUAY
by
Clara Piriz*, Walter Couto**
and Adriana Jorajuria***
*A. S. Professor, College of Social
Sciences, University of the Republic, Uruguay
**Ing.
Agr, Ph.D., Coordinator, ECOPLATA Program, Montevideo, Uruguay
***ECOPLATA
Introduction
Sixty nine percent of the Uruguayan population lives on or near the coastal area of the Rio de la Plata and most industries and intensive agriculture are also located in this part of the country. Despite the low population growth in Uruguay, there was a considerable increase of human pressure on the coastal area as a result of intensive internal migration during the last decade. Some localities tripled their population between 1985 and 1996.
To promote
the sustainable management of coastal resources, the ECOPLATA
Programme was initiated. It resulted from an inter-institutional agreement
for joint execution of activities in support of integrated coastal zone
management (ICZM) on
the Uruguayan coast of the Rio de la Plata. Like in many other parts of the
world, in Uruguay there is a sectoral approach to coastal management in which
several national and local institutions are responsible for different resources
in the same geographical area, as for example, water, land, fisheries, law
enforcement, etc.
The
project intends to integrate the efforts of all institutions based
on knowledge, information and public participation in order to improve the use
of the coastal area on a sustainable basis.
The
project area is the whole Uruguayan Coast of the Rio de la Plata from its origin
on the Uruguay River to the outlet on the Atlantic Ocean, at Punta del Este. The
terrestrial strip varies between a few hundred metres up to 15 km wide and the
marine area ranges from 2 to 7 nautical miles. To support the management of the
coastal resources, some research and monitoring activities are conducted beyond
these terrestrial and marine limits.
Description
of the conflict situation
On the basis of a preliminary environmental and social-demographic diagnosis, complemented with a public opinion poll and interviews with qualified informants, the most important conflicts and the environmental agenda of social actors were identified. The main problems are:
beach
erosion and ravine erosion,
sand
extraction in areas that affect the stability of the ecosystems,
construction
of hard structures that interfere with the natural sediment transport
process,
urbanization
of coastal and river mouth areas, with resulting damage to private property
and human safety,
solid
waste in the coastal area,
public
concern on water quality at the outlet of some of the rivers,
urban
development near the coast interfering with natural processes.
Conflict
resolution
To improve
the existing situation, ECOPLATA initiated a pilot
project in integrated coastal zone management: a joint effort of different
national and local institutions, with participation of stakeholders, based on
reliable technical and scientific information. Several workshops were organized
among the local population in which the most important problems were considered
together with the feasibility and impact of possible solutions. The vision of
the local social actors completed the diagnosis made by the scientists of the
programme.
During the
workshops, three working groups were created on the basis of some of the
outlined problems: environmental quality, land use planning, and artisanal
fisheries. The interdisciplinary approach and the participation of the local
community allowed the identification of actions needed to improve the management
of coastal resources and the living conditions of permanent residents and
tourists. These actions include:
a
proposal for improving the use of the coastal space for various purposes,
educational
activities on disposal and recycling of plastic containers,
identification
of available options to deal with beach and coastal erosion,
a study
to identify the water quality at the outlet of rivers.
Wise practices for conflict resolution
Interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach
The
interdisciplinary approach is necessary to resolve concrete problems with
knowledge coming from different disciplines. This necessitates leaving the
pedestals of separate disciplines and finding a common language for
communication. It implies also continuous learning and an effort from the team
directed towards itself.
Participatory process
In the
ICZM process it is necessary to work with the local community, but equally
important is to work with state institutions and companies.
These ways are complementary and both are necessary to advance
effectively in the management of the coastal tasks.
Consensus building
It is not
easy to generate trust and credibility in the population but it is essential. The political history of countries like Uruguay has an
important influence on the relationship between the State institutions and the
local population. We start from
situations where previous frustrations must be neutralized, this generates
expectations on behalf of the population. In the participatory processes it is
much harder to overcome frustrations than to have to start all over again. Most
of our work was guided by the purpose of changing from an approach of
‘demanding to the State’ to an approach of ‘proposing to the State’.
Achievements
The
following are some of the results obtained from the ICZM programme:
To have
generated a place of encounter that deals with the coastal problems.
Increased
scientific knowledge on coast issues.
Familiarization
with tools, making possible a more critical posture.
Incorporation
of new social actors in the local network.
Strengthening
of the institutional network.
Increased
interest in coastal matters.
Visualization
of possible collective solutions.
Transcending
of a local view and the incorporation of a more global view.
Linking
of new local organizations with coastal tasks.
New ways
of communication between the government, community and scientists.
Tasks
remaining
Although
the ICZM project is very recent there is still a need to:
Obtain a
major commitment of the government organizations at all levels.
Propose
the construction of a political and legislative framework.
Define
and consolidate a better institutional structure for the programme.
Conclusion
This is a local experience on ICZM, basically intended to use and evaluate the different tools. The process of collective learning in which all have participated has been successful but, to really solve the major problems of the coastal zone, it is necessary to extend and deepen the experience. ICZM is a privileged tool that can produce financial resources, employment, higher life quality and more efficiency in the government management. It is a modern policy in which the participation of citizens, improved efforts in education, research and information, are essential instruments for feedback to the State agencies and Governments.
