Growth in capacity for integrated coastal management since UNCED: an international perspective

This article reviews progress achieved in the implementation of the concept of ‘integrated coastal management’ (ICM), a central concept in Chapter 17 of Agenda 21. A number of signs indicate that a growth in capacity for integrated coastal management has taken place since the 1992 Earth Summit. Among the developments discussed are: (1) the ICM concept has come to be embraced as a central organizing concept in a number of the post Earth Summit conferences and in international agreements formerly lacking a coast and ocean emphasis, such as the Biological Diversity Convention; (2) the ICM concept has been further interpreted and operationalized in several efforts by international entities to develop ICM guidelines; and (3) a number of new training and teaching programs in ICM have been established.