- Coastal zone management in Wales- 175

Journal of Coastal Conservation 2: 175-178, 1996© EUCC; Opulus Press Uppsala. Printed in Sweden

Abstract. In 1994 the Countryside Council for Wales, thegovernment nature conservation and countryside advisor inWales, published a consultation document on marine andcoastal policy, and also commissioned research into the statusof coastal zone management (CZM) in the Principality. Theresearch, undertaken by the University of Wales Cardiff,investigated CZM from an international, national (U.K.) andWelsh perspective, concentrating on detailed case studies ofthree areas (including both urban and rural coasts). Policymakers, managers, practitioners and users from all sectorswere included in the study which established current activity,identified problems and reviewe future plans. Interviews andquestionnaire returns highlighted vital information gaps at alllevels. These ranged fom a lack of basic data (includingscientific and technical), to a breakdown in communicationboth within and between organisations, as well as a policyvacuum in both regional and central government.

Keywords: Coastal policy; Marine policy; Swansea Bay.

Introduction

CZM: The international and U.K. context

In recent years the term coastal zone management(CZM) has evolved to mean the integration of land andsea use management systems to the benefit of the envi-ronment and all users. Many definitions now includethe concepts of conflict resolution or reduction, andsustainability (Ballinger et al. 1996). Pioneering initia-tives came from America, with legislation such as theUS Federal Coastal Zone Management Act 1972; re-flecting a growing concern for coastal issues that overthe last few decades has spread across the world (Vallejo1993; Sørensen 1993). Such measures have been en-couraged by the UNCED conference in Rio de Janeiroin 1992, where in Agenda 21 Chapter 17 coastal statesagreed that “coastal management should be integratedin content and anticipating in ambit”. In Europe a Di-rective on coastal management has been anticipated forsome time, and a great deal of preparatory work hasbeen accomplished, although it may still be some time

Coastal zone management in Wales: The information gaps

Havard, M.S.C.1, Ballinger, R.C.2, Pettit, S.J.2 & Smith, H.D.2

1Department for Continuing Education and Professional Development, University of Wales Cardiff, 38 Park Place,Cardiff CF1 3BB, UK; 2Department of Maritime Studies and International Transport, University of Wales Cardiff,

38 Park Place, Cardiff CF1 3BB, UK; Fax +44 1222 668935; E-mail havard@cardiff.ac.uk

before it appears (Gibson 1994). There have also beena number of other European coastal and marine initia-tives where CZM has become an important issue, in-cluding the North Sea Ministerial Meetings, where thetopic was discussed at the most recent meeting in Co-penhagen in June 1995. In 1992 in the U.K., followinga number of studies by non-governmental organisa-tions and through professional bodies, such as the Ma-rine Conservation Society (Gubbay 1990) and the RoyalInstitute of Chartered Surveyors (King & Smith 1986)respectively, the House of Commons Environment Se-lect Committee report ‘Coastal Zone Protection andPlanning’ concluded that there was a need for a strate-gic coastal management system for the British coast(Anon. 1992). Numerous programmes have been initi-ated since then, most at a local level (e.g. estuary initia-tives) and many still sectoral in nature (e.g. ShorelineManagement Plans) but generally with wider remitsand involving more consultation and external involve-ment than ever before.

The Coastal Management Project

Against this background, the Countryside Councilfor Wales (CCW) the Government’s nature conserva-tion and countryside advisor in Wales, produced a con-sultation document on coastal policy (Anon. 1994) andcommissioned a review of maritime (coastal) manage-ment for the Welsh coast. The aims of the project wereto provide:• An audit of current and proposed coastal management

programmes, including systems management;• An analysis of the relative success that has been

achieved in securing the objectives of management,and an evaluation of the applicability of these meas-ures in other parts of the coastal zone;

• An evaluation of the methods and procedures whichcould achieve integrated management of the coastalzone;

• An evaluation of the current and possible future levelof inter-agency interaction in the coastal zone.

176 Havard, M. et al.

• Recommendations for improving integration and in-ter-agency action.Three case areas, representative of both rural and

urban coast, were chosen for detailed analysis. Conclu-sions were drawn from these which should be applicableto the whole of the Welsh coast. The areas studied werethe Menai Strait, the North Ceredigion coast from Aber-ystwyth to the Dyfi, and Swansea Bay.

Methodology

The analysis drew its information from a variety ofsources:

1. A desk study of the variety of plans and programmesactive in the three areas. These ranged from statutoryStructure and Development Control plans to non-statu-tory strategies (recreation and countryside for example),large area Catchment Management Plans to specific sitemanagement plans.

2. Questionnaires. This covered five main topics ofinterest: organisational details; management program-mes; management in practice; management plans andother planning documents; and coastal zone manage-ment. The questionnaire was designed to be applicableto a wide range of organisations and individuals drawnfrom all sectors involved with the Welsh coast, with 149questionnaires being sent out.

3. Interviews. Individuals working in the field of CZMat a national (U.K.) or international level were inter-viewed to place the Welsh approach in a wider context.Over 100 individuals, working at all levels in organisa-tions, representing all sectors with coastal interests,were also interviewed, some of them as a follow-up toquestionnaire responses. These semi-structured inter-views concentrated particularly on the study areas, build-ing up a matrix of issues and approaches for analysis.

Suggestions were invited within the questionnairesand interviews regarding the background and frame-work for effective CZM. Comments were also soughton the major obstacles perceived by the respondents andinterviewees. This paper summarizes the findings relat-ing to information need and gaps as identified from theresponses.

Analysis and Evaluation

As with most empirical studies of this nature, quan-titative analysis of questionnaire results was precluded

by the variety of approaches adopted by the respond-ents. However, it was possible to identify the main typesof information felt to be needed by those involved withCZM in Wales, and so determine some vital informationgaps.

The information required falls into two categories:(1) basic hard data, frequently unavailable or only avail-able in an inaccessible or unsuitable form and (2) knowl-edge about the coast, coastal management and coastalresponsibilities, usually available but often not where itwas needed due to restricted information flow.

The information gaps can be divided into:

1. Data. Lack of scientific data or technical informationsuch as; biological records or descriptions of sites (par-ticularly marine); information about coastal processes(sediment movements, hydrographic information etc.).

2. Awareness. A general lack of knowledge about coastaland marine issues, and particularly CZM at all levels ofinvolvement, from site managers (often the most knowl-edgeable, but biased) to officers in advisory agenciesand decision makers such as elected councillors.

3. Information flow. A lack of communication of infor-mation both between and within organisations involvedin coastal issues.

4. Policy. A lack of guidance for the establishment ofinformation networks and management frameworks, andno strategic approach to the coast at regional, national orinternational levels: the so-called policy vacuum.

Data

There is an evident wealth of information availableconcerning both biological and physical aspects of thecoastal zone (Doody 1995), and there are increasingnumbers of studies on activities, visitor pressures etc.(Sidaway 1995). However, the response from managersis that there is not the necessary information available.The lack of scientific and technical data is often attrib-uted to limited resources and, particularly in the case ofthe coastal environment, insufficient workers in thefield. The complexity and difficulty in collecting andinterpreting varied data from the marine environmenthas restricted availability of information to that which isvery site-specific and that which is releases only on aneed-to-know basis. Recent advances in technology anddata handling (e.g. remote sampling techniques, compu-ter modelling, GIS systems) have improved the knowl-edge base, and there is great potential to extend this infuture by both these and other means, such as the use ofremote sensing satellites (Doody 1995). The biggest

- Coastal zone management in Wales- 177

development of a corporate approach, particularly toenvironmental issues, has encouraged far greater liaisonbetween departments and consequently much improvedinformation networking.

The problem of lack of information, or restrictedinformation flow, was also identified in a number ofagencies and organisations, where local officers felt theadvice and information provided by ‘central’ specialistswas either impracticable or else inappropriate to thelocal situation.

Although at local officer level communicationamongst statutory agencies and with external organisa-tions such as voluntary agencies was generally good, thesituation was less satisfactory at director and policymaking levels. This caused the concern that policy de-velopment may be undertaken without full knowledgeof associated development of ideas in other organisa-tions. Communication and information flow betweensectors, particularly the industrial sector, was more likelyto be one sided and therefore unsatisfactory. This wasoften due to information being treated as ‘commercialconfidence’, even after it had been supplied by a statu-tory agency. Some private companies, for example WelshWater/Dwr Cymru (WW/DC), have large informationdatabases, which are currently not available under thissame restriction. However WW/DC are taking a lead inthis area, and are planning to make much of its informa-tion available at no or low cost, rather than not beingavailable or only at prohibitive commercial rates (Lowepers. comm.).

Outside of U.K. planning jurisdiction, informationgaps are most noticeable. The offshore environment issubject to regulation and management from a number ofcentral Government departments. In Wales there is greatconcern at the complete contrast in style and manage-ment objectives between Government departments andlocal, land-based organisations. It is perceived that lo-cal, and even Welsh, interests may well be overriddenwithout these departments being accountable to thelocal population. There is also a general lack of under-standing about the role and specific responsibilities ofcentral Government offshore, probably due to the lowlevel of consultation and cooperation between depart-ments and local authorities. In some areas consultationwith non-statutory fora has been used as the main con-sultation route with local people, for example meetingsbetween the Department of Trade and Industry (DTi),oil companies and the Cardigan Bay Forum over oil andgas exploration in Cardigan Bay. These informal con-tacts were generally supported, but it was felt theyshould not be considered as a substitute for closer con-tacts between DTi, local authorities and Welsh agen-cies, for example.

Particular concern was expressed over the complex-

problem, the inaccessibility of disparate data, has alsonow started to be addressed by the development ofintegrated information databases such as the CoastalDirectories project, coordinated by the Joint NatureConservation Committee and supported by a wide rangeof organisations with coastal interests. Information andcontacts from the interim draft report for Region 12(Barne & Robson 1995) proved particularly useful inthe initial stages of the current study.

Awareness

Coastal zone issues are most often considered fromthe land-based perspective (Taussik 1995). This stemsfrom administrative boundary restrictions, with plan-ning control normally only extending to low water mark.However, it also results from a general lack of informa-tion and education about the coastal continuum: land,intertidal area and sea. In addition, since interest inintegrating management initiatives across the wholecoastal zone is only relatively recent, professionals inthe field are conversant with neither the concept nor thepracticalities of CZM. This is being addressed by pro-fessional bodies, organizations and academic institu-tions running continuing professional developmentcourses in CZM. However, these inevitably are sectorallybased (engineering, conservation, recreation, industryetc.) and they therefore lack the integrated approachappropriated for effective CZM. At policy and decision-making level it was found that there was often very littleawareness of the marine environment (and frequentlythis applied to the natural environment generally), withnon-specialists in advisory roles, or decisions beingtaken without appropriate advice being sought.

Information flow and policy

Out of the four categories of information gaps out-lined above, the latter two may not at first appear to beobvious deficiencies. However, they are vital and mustbe addressed if CZM is to be successful. The multiplic-ity of organisations and agencies involved at the coastinevitably leads to some confusion over roles and re-sponsibilities, and the study highlighted the need forclarification in this area.

Local authorities normally lack any formal interde-partmental structures to address coastal issues. Indeed,in some authorities the lack of communication betweenthe planning and engineering departments was suspectedto have led to sub-optimal management solutions atparticular coastal localities. In smaller authorities, withfewer, multipurpose departments this problem was lessacute, since internal arrangements were more conduciveto liaison between disciplines. In some authorities the

178 Havard, M. et al.

ity of the internal organisation of the Welsh Office andagain the lack of comprehension of the responsibilitiesand remit of its various department and divisions. Thisgives rise to perhaps the most serious gap: the lack of astrategic view and guidance from the Welsh Office, andcentral Government, on the coast and coastal issues.This was considered particularly desirable during thepresent period of major organisational instability in thePrincipality, with Local Government Reorganisationtaking place in April 1996, and many of the key agen-cies, e.g. National Rivers Authority and CCW, alsoundergoing major internal restructuring. At a policylevel Wales lacks some of the Policy Planning Guidance(PPG) notes issues for England, particularly those offer-ing a wider policy framework for the coastal zone suchas PPG9 (Nature Conservation), PPG13 (Transport),PPG15 (Planning and Historic Environment), PPG23(Planning and Pollution), PPG24 (Noise) and PMG6(Minerals). PPG20 on Coastal Planning does currentlyapply in Wales, however the recent release for consulta-tion of the Policy Planning Guidance (Wales), with theintention that it “encompasses strategic planning guid-ance to provide the strategic planning framework forWales”, is set to supersede it. PPG (Wales) containsonly a single paragraph specifically on the coast, butdoes, for the first time, give guidance on the definitionof the coastal zone for a local planning authority’s area.This should be determined by the geographical extent ofthe effects of natural processes on the landward side,and by the limit of human influences on the seaward side(Anon. 1995). However, the Welsh Office’s interpreta-tion of these two boundaries is yet another informationgap which needs to be addressed.

Conclusions

In order for CZM to succeed, additional and highquality information must be freely and widely available.The future of CZM in Wales will be dependent not onlyon further resources invested in data collection anddissemination but, more importantly, on filling thosegaps in information flow which have been identified inthe Principality and beyond. Further education about thecoastal environment and coastal management should beaimed both at practitioners and the general public. Struc-tures and networks for information flow should be bothdefined and supported. Framework guidance and a long-term strategic view on the sustainable management ofthe coast from the Welsh Office and central Govern-ment must also be established to ensure development offully integrated coastal zone management of the Welshcoast.

Acknowledgements. This study was undertaken with supportfrom the Countryside Council for Wales. The authors wouldlike to thank the many people who gave their time and exper-tise so willingly to help with this work.

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Received 10 September 1995;Revision received 5 May 1996;

Accepted 23 August 1996.