Journal
Journalof
ofCoastal
CoastalResearch
Research
SI 64
pg - pg
1311
1315
ICS2011
ICS2011 (Proceedings)
Poland
ISSN 0749-0208
Ten Years Assessment of ICZM Principles Applied at a Local Scale: Ria
de Aveiro Case Study
F. L.Alves†, J. V. Silva†, C. A. Pereira†† and L. P. Sousa†
† CESAM – Centre for
Environmental and Marine
Studies, Department of
Environment and Planning,
University of Aveiro,
3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
[email protected],
[email protected]
[email protected]
‡ CESAM – Centre for
Environmental and Marine
Studies, Department of
Civil Engineering
University of Aveiro,
Aveiro
3810, Portugal
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Alves, F., Silva, J., Pereira, C., and, Sousa, L. 2011. Ten Years Assessment of ICZM Principles Applied at a
Local Scale: Ria de Aveiro Case Study. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 64 (Proceedings of the 11th International
Coastal Symposium), 1311 – 1215. Szczecin, Poland, ISSN 0749-0208
The need for an integrated management for Ria de Aveiro Lagoon is not new. Back in the 90’s the European
Commission stated that, concerning the management of the coastal zones, there was a lack of coordination and
concertation between the governmental institutions and the different sectors of activities This circumstance was
not related to the amount and quality of the management instruments and laws but due to the lack of coordination
between the different stakeholders involved in this management process. This statement applied to the European
space was perfectly adjusted to the Portuguese reality, in particular, to the estuary and coastal area of the Ria de
Aveiro. The Aveiro lagoon is the target of several research projects as well as some action programmes. Firstly
this study analyses two of the most important Portuguese research projects the MARIA and ESGIRA-MARia
that were in the scope of the LIFE Environment of the European Union. Secondly this study examines also the
UNIR@RIA Spatial Plan, that was designed with a strong basis on an inter-municipality level and the POLIS
LITORAL Ria de Aveiro Action Programme that appears as an environmental and financial opportunity to take
into action some of the required measures for the study area. This paper analyses the previously mentioned
Projects and Plans; comparing them; identifying their goals, their methodology; the involved stakeholders;
pointing out their success actions and their weakness; establishing a coherent line between them; and
enumerating the elements passed from the beginning of the studies stage to the actions plans of nowadays.
ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Integrated Management; Aveiro Lagoon; Local Scale
INTRODUCTION
The process of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is
based on eight principles: a broad "holistic" perspective; a long
term perspective; adaptive management during a gradual process;
reflect local specificity; work with natural processes; participatory
planning; support and involvement of all relevant administrative
bodies and; use of a combination of instruments (EC, 2002).
These are the basic principles considered as essential to achieve a
successful integrated coastal management process.
Looking at the Portuguese context it is possible to witness an
improvement made by the government in the legislation applied to
the coastal zones, in order to prepare a robust legal base in matters
of governance (institutional and competences) (MAOTDR, 2009).
There was an effort made towards the introductions in the national
sectorial policies several objectives of the European
Recommendations as regards the Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (CEC, 2000), these acts can be seen in the National
Strategy of Sustainable Development (APA, 2006). On the other
hand, the financial resources made available for actions of coastal
defense and of environmental protection have been suffering a
significant increase in the last years. This particularly aspect
clearly demonstrates the importance that the coastal zone assumes
in the national and local performing strategies due the strong and
complex problems existing (Alves and Ferreira, 2006).
The Portuguese government has approved, in 2009, the National
Strategy for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (NSICZM)
(MAOTDR, 2009). The Portuguese national strategy identified as
main principles: Sustainability and Intergenerational Solidarity;
Cohesion and Equity; Prevention and Precaution; Systemic
Approaches; Technical and Scientific Knowledge; Subsidiarity;
Participation; Co-responsibility; and Operability. However, the
concerns with coastal zones are not new and the need for an
integrated management strategy for the Aveiro lagoon has been
the target of several research projects and spatial planning
interventions, during the last decade.
As mentioned before, in the early 90’s the European
Commission stated that there was a lack of coordination and
concertation in the coastal spatial management acts. This was
principally related to the stakeholders (government and sectors)
involved and not with the planning documents themselves. That
reality led to a research project, in 1996, in the scope of the
Programme on Integrated Management for the Ria de Aveiro –
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 64, 2011
1311
ICZM in Aveiro Lagoon
MARIA (LIFE96 ENV/P/000601). This first European project
was continued in 1999 by another one, the ESGIRA-MARia
(LIFE99 ENV/P/000673) as a follow-up of the operationally of
the main principles of ICZM. Later, in 2008, the eleven
municipalities surrounding the Aveiro lagoon joined their strength
and created the UNIR@RIA. An inter-municipal spatial plan was
design and approved for this particularly territory.
Nowadays, the interventions strategies for the recovery and
protection of the Aveiro lagoon are being managed by a specific
programme, named POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro
(PARQUEXPO, 2008).
STUDY AREA
The Aveiro Lagoon, situated on the northern coast of Portugal,
is a shallow water lagoon separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a
sandy dune barrier. It has an irregular geometry the only existing
connection with the ocean is artificial and was opened in the
beginning of the 19th century. The lagoon has a maximum width
of 10km and it extents for around 45 km (Figure 1) (Dias, 2001).
agriculture, holds a large number of small traditional fishing ports,
houses the Aveiro’s Harbor, has aquaculture activities, it is an
important place for the tourism with a growing subsector in the
water sports area and it’s also related to the traditional salt
production activities.
It was once and important area of salt production, its production
area occupies around 15 km2, and in the 15th century it had
around 500 active saltpans. The amount of saltpans has been
decreasing very rapidly in the last years and nowadays there are
only 8 active ones (Picado et al., 2009). Part of their activity is
now related to tourism as well, acting like a living, functioning
museum – Ecomuseu da Troncalhada (Eco-museum).
From the nature conservation and biodiversity point of view, it
is a high value area, both locally and nationally. It has a rich fauna
and flora housing a large number of species. Due to rich variety of
species the Aveiro lagoon was classified as a Special Protected
Area, a classification that comes from the application of the Birds
Directive (Directive on the conservation of wild birds –
79/409/EEC). It contains also an important protected area, the
Natural Reserve of ‘Dunas de São Jacinto’. A well preserved dune
barrier located in the seaside area of the lagoon with several ponds
that present themselves as an essential habitat for numerous local
and migratory birds.
Besides the key agents with legal competences to intervene in
the lagoon territory, there are also a large number of other entities
with direct or indirectly interests in the lagoon. Summarizing, we
are looking at a coastal lagoon that is influenced by: tidal regime;
possessing a complex and characteristic biota; favorable to the
simultaneous course of natural and anthropic processes. Due to its
large social, economic and patrimonial diversity it has also a
complex legal and institutional structure (Alves et al., 2000b).
PROJECTS, PLANS AND PROGRAMMES
MARIA Project
In 1996, the University of Aveiro established with the local,
regional and central government, as well as with different local
associations, a partnership for a project called MARIA –
Integrated Management Program for the Aveiro Lagoon. This
project was a part of the ICZM Demonstration Programs funded
by EU Programme LIFE’96. Their goal was to find tools that
allowed a management framework orientated for a better and
integrated development and also to improve the stakeholders
participation and conciliation of interests, not only for the Aveiro
coastal lagoon but also for other coastal lagoons with similar
characteristics (Alves et al, 2000b).
Main goals
Figure 1. Ria Aveiro Lagoon study area
The area of the lagoon is in constant change since it is strongly
influenced by tides. During spring tides the area goes from 66 km2
at low tide to 85 km2 at high tide (Dias, 2001). It has an average
depth of 1 m, but it also has areas, especially the navigation
channels close to its mouth and the contiguous port areas, that are
deeper due to constant dredging operation to allow access of
bigger vessels to the port. It is a mesotidal lagoon with a tidal
amplitude in average of 2 m but it can varies at the inlet from 0.6
in neap tides to 3.2 m in spring tides (Dias et al., 2000).
The Aveiro lagoon is a very important ecosystem to the local
economy and to the environment. It acts as keystone to the local
The propose of this Project comes from two specific main goals
that were: to build the capacity of several different entities to work
together; to take profit from the investments and interventions
done in a common area (the lagoon) in defining cooperation
approaches to ensure a sustainable use of this special space.
Key-agents
There were various agents involved in this project form the
regional to local government. These entities have legal
competencies to intervene on the lagoon. The project has
integrated also: the Industrial District Association; the
Agricultural and Rural Development Institute; the Institute for
Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, and local nongovernmental associations. The University of Aveiro played an
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 64, 2011
1312
Alves et al.
important role as a R&D institution but also as a ‘neutral’ partner,
leading this partnership.
Methodology
To achieve the proposed main goals the methodology used in
this project was develop in three sequential stages that were all
interconnected (Figure 2).
general disjointed nature of actions taken at different levels of the
administration, the inadequacy of legislation and instruments for
implementation and the lack of co-ordination between the
different groups/ sectors using coastal lagoon area (Alves et al.,
2000b; Alves et al.,2001a).
Main goals
The project was design to take advantage of the previously
opened paths of cooperation between the different stakeholders
allowing a better implementation of the pilot projects that came
out of the MARIA Project.
As a goal, it set to test the efficiency of an Integrated
Management Structure through negotiation among the various
interests groups (a wide-ranging partnership was created within
the framework of the 1996 LIFE project - MARIA), to contribute
to the identification of integrated management methodologies for
coastal areas and to identify mechanisms that allow the (re)
shaping of a structure of this typology.
Key-Agents
Figure 2. MARIA Methodology (DAO/UA, 1999)
The first stage of work consisted in identify and synthesise the
existing information to assess the present situation frame. The
second stage, consisted in the analysis and evaluation of the
existing projects, plans and programmes assessing the interference
level in the natural ecosystems, their contribution to the
environment degradation and mitigation measures foreseen in
them. This allowed to identify the concerted actions, or lack of
them, this would act as a hint on the recommendations elaboration.
To the success of this stage, the information trade process between
the different agents was fundamental. In the third stage the
partners of the MARIA Project, considering the identified
problem, intended to contribute to a definition of integrated
management structure for the Aveiro coastal lagoon. This
structure would also have to be tested regarding its ability to
manage the multiplicity of environmental vectors of the lagoon
region. To achieve those results there were four main areas that
the project identified as a priority: the traditional fishery activities,
the salt production, the agricultural practices and the landscape
protection.
Results
The MARIA Project managed to create routine of cooperation
and conciliation between the different stakeholders involved in the
Aveiro lagoon management. It helped to create a definition of an
integrated management structure for the sustainable development
of the area. It created routines of dialog where there were none. As
a European Demonstration Programme it was also possible to
share the experience and share its findings. For the national reality
one important result of the project was the definition of the four
priority areas that were the basis for the ESGIRA-MARia Project.
ESGIRA-MARia Project
The ESGIRA-MARia (Integrated Management Structure for the
Aveiro Lagoon) Project started in 1998 and it was a co-financed
project by the European Union in the scope of the environment
LIFE’99. The main idea was to continue the work done in the
MARIA Project, accessing the efficiency of the proposed
integrated management structure and also to respond to some
identified weakness, principally in the lack of coordination and
The team involved in this project was a bit wider than in the
MARIA. The core group of the project, led by the University of
Aveiro, felt the need to embrace more agents so that project could
reach even further than before. A part of the University members
the team had members from local and regional government, from
a number of regional associations, from the industrial, the
environment, the tourism and non-governmental entities. The idea
was to get a multidisciplinary view over the lagoon and its
management issues.
Methodology
The method used was based on the four priority areas of the
MARIA Project. These areas led to the creation of four different
pilot projects:
•
Rehabilitation and valorization of the existing piers along
the lagoon channels;
•
Rehabilitation of the salt marines (saltpans);
•
Management of the “Baixo-Vouga” agricultural field
allowing the co-existence of the agricultural activities with
the existing natural habitats;
•
Implementation of measures that promote the
classification and the integrated management of the
protected landscape area of the Cáster river mouth.
These pilot projects came from the need to develop wide
enough actions that integrated all the physic geographic area of the
lagoon area that had already been subject of a previous
investigation and would be seen as an example of the daily
management issues of the lagoon. The projects were explained to
the involved stakeholders and the population by having specific
formation sessions, various workshops, the inclusion of the project
on the University Open Week (One week of the year that the
University opens its doors to the outside community allowing
schools to see what kind of work is done in the University) and
scientific exhibits in the municipalities (Alves et al., 2000a; Alves
et al., 2000b; Alves et al., 2001b).
Results
The main results of the ESGIRA-MARia Project are connected
to the strengthening routines of the cooperation between the
different stakeholders and concertation of interests, there were
significant progresses when compared with the MARIA Project.
The developed work divided in specific groups inherent to each
pilot project promoted a larger interaction which allowed a greater
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 64, 2011
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ICZM in Aveiro Lagoon
capacity of knowledge transfer that was reflected on the quality of
the final product of each pilot project. The work done in each
project was transferred to the local population which enhanced the
identity feeling allowing a greater sense of awareness to the
lagoons issues and the solutions proposed and in execution. The
project managed to raise attention to the lagoon and to the need of
an integrated management.
Another output of the project was a number of publications in
journals, conferences and books that allowed the dissemination of
the findings to go even further.
POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro programme
Nowadays the Aveiro coastal lagoon is the target of another
programme, the POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro. This
programme is now overseeing the interventions strategies for the
valorization and recuperation of the lagoon.
The POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro is one of the four national
POLIS LITORAL programmes. These programmes are made for
problematic, troubled pressured areas and have special funding
mechanisms.
Main goals
UNIR@RIA Plan
In early 2000 the inter-municipal spatial plan UNIR@RIA
(AMRia/CPU, 2006) started to be drawn and it was only
concluded in 2008. The plan aims to establish integrated
guidelines for the surrounding territory of the Aveiro lagoon and
its natural extension trough the drainage basin of the Vouga and
Cértima River.
Main goals
The main objective of this plan is to achieve the sustainable
development and qualification of the Aveiro Lagoon and
surrounding territory. To succeed, the plan set a pair of
fundamental strategic vectors, the lagoon as a privileged natural
space and the lagoon as an integrated, cohesive and dynamic
socio-economic space. This plan counted with the participation of
the local, regional and national government and it took into
account several existing plans for the lagoon (AMRia/CPU, 2006;
Sousa et al., 2010).
Methodology
To elaborate the plan several characterization studies were made
to access the lagoons territorial reality. This was also
complemented with the existing studies and municipal projects
that were considered a priority for the lagoon’s sustainable
development. There was a concern to take into consideration the
high hierarchical plans such as the regional spatial plan and the
coastal zone management plan to achieve the necessary
concertation and articulation between all the existing plans.
To accomplish the vision of the lagoon as a natural space the
plan set measures to rehabilitate degraded and abandoned areas
ensuring that the natural values would be considered as a priority
instead of other uses and functions. This would be achieved
through an environmental information and education of the
surrounding population regarding the natural value of the Aveiro
lagoon and the need to preserve its natural values.
To reach the vision of an integrated, cohesive and dynamic
socio-economic space the plan set to conversion of the agriculture
sector allowing the development of sustainable policies based on
best environmental practices and supporting the maintenance of
production systems. It would also set to promote the traditional
activities compatible with nature conservation creating
equilibrium conditions between production and natural values.
The plan also intends to improve the accessibility of the area
taking advantage its position and complementing the existing
roads networks allowing an easier accessibility both to the local
and outside population (AMRia/CPU, 2006).
Results
The lack of funding currently one of the main threats to the
plans execution and a large number of the foreseen action were
put on standby. We can also conclude that the process of defining
a strategy is not consensual making it a very time-consuming act.
The programme is based in three main objectives that originated
four vectors of work and twenty nine sub vectors:
•
An environmental preserved lagoon: coastal and lagoon
defense and protection minimizing risks; valorization and
protection of the natural patrimony and landscape;
•
Economic dynamic lagoon: valorization of the economical
resources as a social and economic competitive factor;
•
Lagoon of multiple existences: promotion and
dynamisation of the lagoon.
Methodology
One of the main differences between this programme and the
previous plan is that the POLIS started where the UNIR@RIA
began to have a lack of municipal financial support. Most actions
proposed on the other plans stopped when funding was not
available so, to avoid that, the “POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro”
started with the funding for each vector already accounted for. The
amount of funding was limited and had to be distributed, but it
counted with approximately 96 million Euros (59% European
funds and 41% National funds). This allows the studies to begin
with the certainty that the propose actions would actually be
implemented and carried out. The Portuguese government created
a legal society to co-manage the programme along with the
regional and the studies are made by multidisciplinary teams
involving a large number of stakeholders and users of the lagoon
(PARQUEXPO, 2008).
Results
Some of the proposed studies have already been approved and
at least seven projects are being implemented and built.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The MARIA research project opened the ways of
communication between the different stakeholders involved in the
lagoon management and showed the benefits of an integrated
approach to the lagoons management. This was a critical factor to
a better management due to the lagoon’s social, economical and
cultural dynamics. Once the path of communication was
established, the fallowing project, the ESGIRA-MARia, took
those relations to another level. The communication’s bonds
between the stakeholders were strengthened and the execution of
the pilot projects was a clear demonstration, both to the
stakeholders and the local population, of how an ICZM strategy
could be helpful in the lagoon’s management.
The two research projects, regarding the ICZM policies and
principles, created a clear coordination and conciliation between
the large number of stakeholders involved in the lagoon
management and its users resulting in a new way to see the lagoon
management. This allowed the elaboration of the UNIR@RIA
plan. There was a clear difference between this plan and the
previous ones. The stakeholders involved were no longer alone on
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 64, 2011
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Alves et al.
Table 1: ICZM principles present in the subjects of analysis
ICZM Principles
MARIA
A broad "holistic" perspective
A long term perspective
Adaptive management during a gradual
process
Reflect local specificity
Work with natural processes
Participatory planning
Support and involvement of all relevant
Administrative bodies
Use of a combination of instruments
ESGIRA-MARia
UNIR@RIA
POLIS LITORAL
Ria de Aveiro
√
√
√
-
√
√
√
√
√
-
-
√
-
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
-
√
√
√
√
-
√
√
√
the planning process and they had the necessary mechanisms to
reach the population for a participatory planning process, leading
to a better management strategy and better intervention proposals.
The POLIS LITORAL Ria de Aveiro action plan raised above
all other due to the economical opportunity that it represents. That
advantage enabled to achieve some of the previously proposed
actions that migrated from the UNIR@RIA plan to the POLIS.
The background studies were based on the existing knowledge and
done with multidisciplinary teams taking advantage of the
currently existing philosophy of dialog and coordination between
the different stakeholders. The success of the POLIS LITORAL
Ria de Aveiro and the fast transition between the studies to the
projects themselves is due to the economical effort made to ensure
that each project had a preset budget and that the financial
condition to execute them were already accounted for.
The analysis done in this study show, that the ICZM principles
implementation is a complex and time consuming task.
Considering the dates of the analysed projects, plans and
programmes by this study and examining the Table 1, it can be
stated that it is only after more than ten years of the first notions of
coordination, concertation and integrated management in the
spatial planning acts, that the Ria de Aveiro Lagoon has finally
been covered by all the principles involved in ICZM. It can also
be said that despite the main importance of the coordination and
conciliation approach, the financial aspects are essential to
execution of the management strategies and plans.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the MARIA and ESGIRA-MARia
projects teams for all provided support.
Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 64, 2011
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