Corepoint (2004 – 2008)
The EUCC has tested the validity of the ICZM Progress Indicator in a number of municipalities in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, France and Belgium in this Interreg IIIB project. Led by CMRC in Cork, Ireland with 12 partners in all, Corepoint (COastal REsearch and POlicy INTegration) established north-west Europe as a recognised region of excellence in ICZM.

The project reviewed international approaches to ICZM to determine the effectiveness of current spatial policies, looked at best practices implemented in ICZM and organised a series of workshops, open days and field trips with expert surgeries to engage decision-makers and citizens in the ICZM process.

More information on http://corepoint.ucc.ie

Sponsors: EU Interreg IIIB NWE

ENCORA (2005 - 2008)
EUCC was an active partner in this Coordinating Action (6th Framework Programme) project led by the Dutch National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management (RIKZ) . ENCORA stimulates multi-disciplinary approaches to ICZM, strengthens communication between scientists, practitioners and policymakers, develops national coordination mechanisms and initiates a self-sustaining process of cooperation in Europe.

It implements a range of mechanisms to stimulate and facilitate progress towards the above objectives, based on national and European networking agreements between the ENCORA associate institutes. Therefore, ENCORA is structured as a network matrix. National coastal networks are the basic components which are being interlinked by European thematic networks. The thematic networks address major fields of concern shared by many member states e.g. multifunctionality & valuation, stakeholder involvement, coastal habitat biodiversity and long-term change.

Within this programme, EUCC was responsible for the work package dissemination the Theme Public Participation and cooperated with 22 partners embracing 13 countries.

More information see www.encora.eu

Integrated Coastal Area & River Management (ICARM) (2004-2006)
EUCC had been invited to develop an ICARM Marker, based on the ICZM Progress Indicator set, in order to support UNEPs Integrated Coastal Area and River Management (ICARM) programme in areas outside Europe. UNEP wanted an ICARM Marker which will show how far river and coastal management authorities are inter-linking to implement ICARM. EUCC worked together with local managers in Latin America, Africa and S.E. Asia, together with UNEP’s ICARM Goup of Experts.

This work was a result of EUCC’s participation, as the only NGO, in the UNEP ICARM Expert Group under the FreshCo partnership. This initiative was to promote river basin management and integrated coastal zone management. An important aspect of the work concerned pollution and the water quality of the rivers and estuaries. Within a European perspective it was looking at how the Water Framework Directive can be helpful in a holistic water management context.

Sponsor: UNEP

PLANCOAST ROMANIA
EUCC had advised the Romanian partner of PLANCOAST, an Interreg IIIB NP Cadses project with the developmnet ofthe tools and capacities for an effective integrated planning in coastal zones and maritime areas in the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea regions.

The EU-PlanCoast project showed the strengths of spatial planning instruments both for the terrestrial and the marine part of the coast, promoting the effective implementation of ICZM programs and maritime policies.

For further information see www.plancoast.eu

ICZM in Romania (2003 – 2005)
EUCC is involved in a SENTER project in Romania with the general objective to introduce, and implement, ICZM and the EU Water Framework Directive in the Romanian coastal zone. It will address the need for an ICZM approach in the decision making and economic planning within the context of the EU ICZM Recommendation and Strategy and will take into account the lessons learned in other candidate and EU member states. An expert visit will be made to Romania to discuss specific problems with local ICZM specialists and a workshop will be held.

This work builds upon a critique which we produced concerning the, then, current Romanian Law (2003) which covers the Coastal and Marine Areas. We provided text and ideas for a new law which is currently being drafted. This assessment was presented at a high level workshop in Romania – and well received. The EUCC also drafted three Codes of Conduct on tourism, agriculture and protected areas in Romania (2003).

The Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) (1995-2005)
EUCC has been an observer to HELCOM since 1995 and contracted by the group on Nature Conservation and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (HELCOM Habitat) to develop several ICZM documents.

Most recently (2004), EUCC was commissioned to produce an ICZM reporting form based upon the ICZM Progress Indicator set to support HELCOM’s Recommendation on ICZM Implementation (a legally binding instrument) which was agreed in 2003. Work has already started in Germany, Denmark, Poland and Russia to produce relevant methodology before the group’s next meeting in May 2005.

This builds upon two important documents that HELCOM Habitat had previously commissioned from EUCC. The second, written in 2003 was entitled “A Common Approach to ICZM in the Baltic Region”. This was commissioned as a result of the EU Recommendation and Strategy on ICZM. The report took experience from the EU, Mediterranean Action Plan (Barcelona Convention) and national practices from the nine member states to delineate a common approach for ICZM in the region including a number of Strategic Principles which should be taken into account. It was designed to help the Baltic States both in their Stocktaking exercise and the development of a Strategy for ICZM. This forward thinking policy will be synergistic with the development of ICZM in the EU and also ensure complementarity between the eight EU states and Russa.

As preparation for this work in 2001, EUCC prepared a "State-of-the-Art" report on ICZM in the Baltic region. It included the various policies and legal instruments already to hand in the nine riparian states and addended a list of current ICZM projects underway.

ICZM in the Black sea (2003-2004)
EUCC has provided technical assistance to the Black Sea Environmental Programme. We provided expert ICZM support to enable the three Regional Activity Centres in Georgia, Russia and Ukraine to finalise their work, disseminate information and policy documents and help them to be implemented. A methodological approach and procedures for implementation of sustainable development with a special focus on pollution were developed. Special attention was paid to the existing legal procedures in the Black Sea countries. Furthermore, two ICZM pilot projects in Russia and Ukraine were carried out using the ICZM methodology developed in a previous TACIS project.

ICZM in the Oder delta (2004 – 2006)
The Oder Delta was being used as one case study in which river, coastal and marine management is integrated. EUCC, EUCC – Poland and EUCC – Germany were participating in the Steering Group of this large ICZM project in the German Oder Delta that has been financed by UNEP and the German federal government.

It addressed the application of indicators, sustainable tourism and regional planning and a joint approach by the two countries (Germany & Poland), also considered climate change. In an effort to promote sustainable development and involvement of the regional population and coastal stakeholders, model simulations and existing river catchment scenarios including climate change and changes in land-use were determined.

Altogether, 11 partners were involved in the € 2 million project.

Sponsors: BBI Matra, KNHM, Natuurmonumenten

Linking ICZM to Biodiversity (2002)
As part of the Workshop on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in The Hague, Netherlands, April 2002, EUCC presented a report showing entitled IMCAM and Biodiversity in Europe.

The paper assessed the success with which biodiversity issues and CBD objectives have been taken into account in IMCAM instruments, mechanisms and projects in Europe. Two main integrated coastal management initiatives were considered viz. the coastal area management programme in the Mediterranean Sea and the EU IMCAM demonstration programme and strategy to which has been added the development of IMCAM in Central and Eastern Europe. For each one of these three European areas, a best example of IMCAM was chosen for an in-depth analysis. These are the Albanian coast, the UK Dorset coast and the West Estonian Archipelago

SEENET - Facilitating the establishment of the Pan–European Ecological Network: a programme focusing on South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area
ECNC–European Centre for Nature Conservation started up a programme to facilitate the establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area. This two-year programme was carried out by ECNC in cooperation with EUCC-the Coastal Union and Eurosite, and with various partner organizations and the governments in this region. The programme is funded by the BBI Matra fund of the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme aimed to facilitate the establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network (PEEN) in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Area, and to ensure that interests and considerations specific to these regions are taken into account in international policy processes dealing with PEEN. This programme adopted an integrative approach, aimed at involving all relevant stakeholder groups and specifically including non-governmental stakeholders.

Please visit the SEENET programme site at www.seenet.info

Ten for Nature (2002-2004)
EUCC led a project called 'Ten for Nature' which helped five NGOs in five new accession countries (Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary & Slovakia) as well as three NGOs in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine to conserve high biodiversity values through field management practices in important areas of natural beauty e.g. Hortobagy National Park (HU), Tematinske hills (SK). One of the aims, through this work, was to help the organisations fund-raise - including private contributions - in order to widen the financial backing and reduce the dependence on single large grants in order to avoid the project ending when the funding runs out i.e to reach financial sustainability through field management practices in important areas of natural beauty. For further information see www.eeconet.org.

Pan European Ecological Network Map (N.E. Europe) (2000 - 2001)
A multinational project team lead by the European Centre for Nature Conservation and comprising EUCC, the All Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection (RU), Alterra (NL), Institute for Nature Conservation (PL), Kossuth Lajos University (HU), National Reference Centre for Nature Management (NL), University of Tartu (ES), Wageningen University (NL) and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UK) drew up an indicative map of the Pan European Ecological Network in the 12 North-East European countries. The task of the EUCC was to produce relevant coastal and marine information for inclusion in the map. This work has been followed up by a project to produce a similar map for South-East Europe.

Pan European Ecological Network Map (S.E. Europe) ( 2003 - 2006)
A multinational project team lead by European Centre for Nature Conservation and comprising EUCC, and partners from Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzogovina, Serbia & Montenegro, Poland ad Greece drew up an indicative map of the Pan European Ecological Network in the South-East European countries. The task of the EUCC was to participate as an Advisor and help in the production of relevant coastal and marine information for inclusion in the map. It was a follow-up to the successful project which produced an equivalent map for north east Europe.

Conservation of Rusne island in the Nemunas delta, Lithuania (2002-2004)
The Nemunas delta (23,950 ha) is situated on the Russian/Lithuanian border, which is formed by the river Nemunas, in the western part of the delta, bordering the Curonian lagoon. It has the status of Regional Park and a management plan for the park has been developed. The delta is of a particular importance for birds. Several bird species are considered internationally endangered e.g. white-tailed eagle, barnacle goose, crane, dunlin and aquatic warbler. For migratory birds, the Nemunas delta is one of the most important stop-over areas in the northern part of the Western-Palaearctic migration route. Rusne Island, five square kilometres of grassland, fishponds, reed beds, and swampy areas, is situated in the centre of the Nemunas delta. The island and its surrounding parts of the Nemunas Delta Park like Minija nature reserve, Dreverna area and Minde grassland, are extremely important breeding and stopover places for grassland birds. EECONET Action Fund in cooperation with other funding organisations has secured long term support for nature conservation and sustainable development of Rusne island (more information can be found at www.eeconet.org).
This project, supported by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, aims to contribute to the sustainable conservation of the nature heritage of the delta as the most important coastal area for migratory birds in the Baltic Region and as an essential element of EECONET. The following objectives have been set:

• Counteract grassland birds habitat degradation due to vegetation succession and meadows damaging;
• Aquatic Warbler conservation;
• Development of eco -agriculture and eco-tourism as tools for nature preservation.

The project’s results are described within the Final project report.

The European Coastal and Marine Ecological Network (1996-99)
EUCC developed and wrote the document 'European Coastal and Marine Ecological Network' which produced, amongst other things, a typology of European coastlines (landscapes, formations and habitats) as well as a new map ' Coastal systems of Europe', as an ecological basis for planning and decision making for any economic sector relevant for coastal management.

PECMEC (1999)
As a follow-up to the European Coastal and Marine Ecological Network projects, EUCC drew up recommendations to Member states to improve the protection of corridors which are used by many animal species to migrate from one important area in their life-cycle to another. This information was further used in an EU funded project led by European Centre For Nature Conservation of which EUCC was partner to develop a Map of the Pan-European Ecological Network.

Coastal Practice Network (2002 - 2005)
EUCC was lead partner in an Interreg IIIC proposal which developed an ICZM practitioners network of 21 partners in 11 EU and acceding states embracing regional and local authorities (9), government institutes (2), universities (5) and NGOs (5). They represent all but three of the EU’s coastal states. It is called Coastal Practice Network or CoPraNet, had a budget of €1.6 million. It had been set up to develop and exchange information on best practice in the coastal zone on the issues of sustainable tourism and coastal erosion and beach management.

It developed both an international label for tourism destinations and a multilingual guide for beach management and coastal erosion. Aspects being covered are water and beach quality of the coastal town and the impact of climate change, in a regional context, so that erosion and/or flood risks can be appropriately incorporated into the planning.

For further information see www.coastalpractice.net

EUROSION (2002-2004)
The EUCC was responsible for two work packages of the service contract concerning Coastal Erosion – Evaluation of the Needs for Action. In the various deliverables the EUCC was responsible for the Scoping Study, Trends Report, Policy Recommendations, newsletters, and brochure. Particular attention was paid to coastal erosion as a natural process and to the sensitivity of coastal ecosystems to erosion – and even more to coastal defence measures and scenarios. We will continue to promote the EUROSION approach, conclusions and recommendations during the next years. To this end, the sixty-odd case studies have been incorporated in the CoPraNet project together wit the methodology. www.eurosion.org

ENRISK (2002-2004)
Within the 5th Framework Research Programme, under the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Thematic Programme, EUCC worked on a project called ENRISK under the leadership of the European Centre for Nature Conservation. The aim of the project was to develop agri-environmental assessments by investigating the role of risk assessments as a means for policy implementation on sustainable land use at the European Level. EUCC’s contribution was to produce a case study on the effects of biodiversity in the Baltic Sea caused by eutrophication due to agricultural fertiliser run-off.

Quality of Coastal Towns (1999-2001)
This Interreg IIC project was a good example of international, local and regional government partnership. It provided opportunities for information exchange between the eleven partners in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium for strategy development. Common interests resulted from the network should also offer examples for other local communities coping with similar problems. Ultimately, the measure of the success of regional strategies for coastal tourism will not be found within the pages of the strategy documents that are produced, but rather in the positive benefits they achieve for the quality, good management and, where possible, the quantity of experiences within the coastal zone.

Several of the partners have continued to work together in the Coastal Practice Network (CoPraNet) project.

The European Code of Conduct for Coastal Zones (1993 – 1999)
EUCC developed the European Code of Conduct for Coastal Zones under the auspices of the Council of Europe, elaborating the implications of environmental concerns and the precautionary principle for all economic sectors relevant for coastal management. The Code deals with direct threats (habitat destruction) as well as indirect threats (habitat degradation and health impacts on wildlife and humans as a result of pollution). It represents a vital effort to put the principles of sustainable development into practice, at all levels of society. www.coastalguide.org/code/

Sustainable tourism in Russia (2003)
EUCC developed, and successfully sought funding for, a project in Chupa, Russia (the White Sea area). It involved local groups and was primarily concerned with sustainable coastal resource management in Russia. It included writing a Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis for the coastal development in the Chupa region, Karelia (RU). This project has developed into a larger one concerning sustainable coastal resource management in Russia.