The evolution of coastal management in South Africa: Why blood is thicker than water

This is the first of two articles exploring coastal management in South Africa. Decades of coastal management effort culminated in a Cabinet-approved coastal policy in December 1999. Based on a Government–civil society partnership, the policy aims to promote sustainable coastal development through integrated coastal management. It represents a marked shift from an earlier approach that virtually ignored justice, democracy and poverty. In recent years, attention has focused on empowering poor coastal communities to build sustainable livelihoods. This paper traces the evolution of coastal management in South Africa, and reflects on the challenges of fostering coastal sustainability. The following article explores the sustainable coastal livelihoods approach in more detail.