Important Coastal Zone Management Conference Comes to Galway

As part of the COREPOINT project an important workshop organised by CoastNet, focusing on the implications of the recent EU Green Paper on the Marine for coastal zone management, will be hosted by the Marine Institute in its headquarters at Oranmore, Co. Galway, on the 8th November.  The keynote presentation will be given by Mr. Fernandez Diez Picazo, a representative from the European Commission Task Force and Marine Policy unit.  

The COREPOINT (Coastal Research & Policy Integration)  project is funded by the EU Interreg 3B Programme and has 12 partners, including CoastNet, the international coastal and marine networking organisation, and  is co-ordinated by the Coastal and Marine Resources Centre, University College Cork.  

“COREPOINT aims are to build both European and local capacity in implementing coastal management plans, to promote social and political responsibility for the coastal environment, and to provide concrete solutions for current management problems,” said Val Cummins, Manager of the CMRC. “We hope that this workshop and the future development of a European Maritime Policy will be an important stepping stone towards the sustainable development of Ireland’s coastal resources.”  

Speaking for the Marine Institute, Dr. Peter Heffernan welcomed the challenge of meeting the economic needs of coastal communities within a policy framework that also reflects the principles of sustainable development. “The main questions facing the workshop,” he said,” are, for example, how we can develop a coastal area for tourism while enhancing the environment, how the attractiveness of our beaches and harbours can be increased while developing maritime industries and to what extent environmental risk is a threat to competitiveness?”  

These questions, and many others related to coastal zone management, will be explored at the conference, with outputs submitted to the EU as part of the response to the consultation on the Green Paper.    

Full details of the project are available on the COREPOINT website at http://corepoint.ucc.ie/ Further information on coastal issues can be found on www.coastweb.info

ENDS