Integrated Coastal Management Implementation in South Africa – in Practice Not Just Concept

Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in South Africa, as in many other areas of the world, has been a process of exploration and discovery as much as one of definition; from the initial process of establishing policy through to a process of implementation, a process often fraught with inconsistencies. It is in moving from the academic concept of ICM to a cycle of implementation where one encounters the greatest challenges. This is the arena where practical application and sound thinking is required to be applied to the reality of delivery and small victories celebrated.

South Africa can rightly claim to have come a long way in terms of the development of an ICM system. Starting in the 1990s through to the late 2000s, an extensively consultative and acclaimed process led to the promulgation of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, (Act no 24 of 2008) and recent National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Amendment Act, (Act no 36 of 2014) (ICM Act). In conjunction with other statutes related to the conservation of biodiversity and general environmental management, this Act gave hope to coastal champions countrywide. Currently, the South African suite of coastal policy and legislation can be easily compared with its international counterparts and is rated among the best (DEA, 2012). Implementation has, however, been somewhat erratic, differing from agency to agency, place to place and issue to issue. Institutional constraints, regulatory gaps, socio-cultural history and simply the diverse and extensive nature of the South African coastline has led to inconsistent results.