The Extension of Property Rights to the Coastal Zone

This paper explores the significance of property rights to coastal zone management in England and Wales. It provides a contextual explanation of the significance of property rights for resource management. It then defines the coastal zone for the purposes of the identification of property rights, categorizing them in a five-element framework comprising terra firma, non-tidal watercourses, tidal watercourses, the foreshore and sea bed. It identifies the inconsistencies and ambiguities arising from the common law and statutory derivation of these categories and examines the significance of them for management purposes. It applies this framework to the needs of resource management in the coastal zone, outlining the institutional effect of the framework on resource management and the pitfalls against which resource managers should guard.