2
1 The Coast
extend even farther upstream than the salt penetration. Pollutants added even to the freshwater
part of a river ultimately reach the sea after passing through the estuary. The seaward boundary
is easier to define scientifically, but it has been the cause of extensive political argument and
disagreement. Coastal waters differ chemically from those of the open sea, even in areas where
man’s impact is minimal. Generally, the coastal water can be identified at least to the edge of the
Continental Shelf (depth of about 200 m), but the influence or major rivers may extend many
miles beyond this boundary [. . . ].
Within this working definition a distinction was made between functional, ecological and
geographical aspects. Here, the vagueness and ambiguity is expressed that a stiff definition
and delineation of the coastal zone is neither possible nor practical. If you think of the
coastal zone of your country walk along the shore or the beach and try to think about all
the interactions and influences both sides of the edge have. Some authors facilitate the
view “that the boundary lines should be determined by the issues which led to the creation
of the [coastal zone management] program. Generally, this means a variable inland line”
(Sorensen and McCreary, 1990, p. 6).
For example, Post and Lundin (1996, p. 3) wrote that
the limits of the coastal zone are often arbitrarily defined, differing widely among nations, and
are often based on jurisdictional ease. It has often been argued that the coastal zone should
include the land area from the watershed to the sea, which theoretically would make sense
as this is the zone where biophysical interactions are strongest. For planning purposes this
definition is often quite impractical, however, as huge areas containing whole countries would
fall under this definition.
Consequently, a definition is hard to determine but the question is: Is it necessary to
find or develop a commonly accepted definition for the term coastal zone to cover all
characteristics and situations?
In the Model Law on Sustainable Management of Coastal Zones (CEC, 2000) the
definition of the term coastal zone is in Article 1 as follows:
“For the purpose of this law, coastal zone shall be taken to mean a geographical area covering
both the maritime part and the terrestrial part of the shore, including salt-water ponds and
wetlands in contact with the sea. [. . . ] The coastal zone shall be precisely delimited at national
level. It may extend, according to specific local economic or ecological requirements [. . . ].”
In recent publications on EU level, for instance, one did not seek to provide a definition
only a general description is given as
. . . whole books have been written about the coast and the coastal zone. For our purpose, however, we use coastal zones to refer to the area where the influence of the land and the sea overlap.
That would include, for instance, parts of the land affected by sea water seepage and parts of the
sea affected by the flow of sand and mud from major rivers” (RIKZ, 1999, p. 7). This statement
was made in a publication meant as a preparatory study for “A Coastal Zone Perspective.
Nevertheless, I would like to refer to a recent document published by the European
Environment Agency (EEA) where
1 The Coast
extend even farther upstream than the salt penetration. Pollutants added even to the freshwater
part of a river ultimately reach the sea after passing through the estuary. The seaward boundary
is easier to define scientifically, but it has been the cause of extensive political argument and
disagreement. Coastal waters differ chemically from those of the open sea, even in areas where
man’s impact is minimal. Generally, the coastal water can be identified at least to the edge of the
Continental Shelf (depth of about 200 m), but the influence or major rivers may extend many
miles beyond this boundary [. . . ].
Within this working definition a distinction was made between functional, ecological and
geographical aspects. Here, the vagueness and ambiguity is expressed that a stiff definition
and delineation of the coastal zone is neither possible nor practical. If you think of the
coastal zone of your country walk along the shore or the beach and try to think about all
the interactions and influences both sides of the edge have. Some authors facilitate the
view “that the boundary lines should be determined by the issues which led to the creation
of the [coastal zone management] program. Generally, this means a variable inland line”
(Sorensen and McCreary, 1990, p. 6).
For example, Post and Lundin (1996, p. 3) wrote that
the limits of the coastal zone are often arbitrarily defined, differing widely among nations, and
are often based on jurisdictional ease. It has often been argued that the coastal zone should
include the land area from the watershed to the sea, which theoretically would make sense
as this is the zone where biophysical interactions are strongest. For planning purposes this
definition is often quite impractical, however, as huge areas containing whole countries would
fall under this definition.
Consequently, a definition is hard to determine but the question is: Is it necessary to
find or develop a commonly accepted definition for the term coastal zone to cover all
characteristics and situations?
In the Model Law on Sustainable Management of Coastal Zones (CEC, 2000) the
definition of the term coastal zone is in Article 1 as follows:
“For the purpose of this law, coastal zone shall be taken to mean a geographical area covering
both the maritime part and the terrestrial part of the shore, including salt-water ponds and
wetlands in contact with the sea. [. . . ] The coastal zone shall be precisely delimited at national
level. It may extend, according to specific local economic or ecological requirements [. . . ].”
In recent publications on EU level, for instance, one did not seek to provide a definition
only a general description is given as
. . . whole books have been written about the coast and the coastal zone. For our purpose, however, we use coastal zones to refer to the area where the influence of the land and the sea overlap.
That would include, for instance, parts of the land affected by sea water seepage and parts of the
sea affected by the flow of sand and mud from major rivers” (RIKZ, 1999, p. 7). This statement
was made in a publication meant as a preparatory study for “A Coastal Zone Perspective.
Nevertheless, I would like to refer to a recent document published by the European
Environment Agency (EEA) where