Coastal management cooperation, enforcement key to avoid pending crisis for millions: ...(ile regional-scale actions frequently fa...)

The report acknowledges the very substantial efforts of multinational agencies, donor countries and foundations, and large international environmental NGOs to help nations most in need of guidance and help.

However, the assistance is often hampered by poor coordination amongst competing organizations and typically involves short-term (3-5 year) projects, which rarely build management activities sustained by internal resources after the project ends.

The report says multinational agencies need to commit to longer time-frames and demand real results in the form of demonstrably improved management, rather than be satisfied that nations are signatory to, and are planning to implement obligations under treaties, conventions and similar legal documents.

The authors say their work was undertaken to help identify problems that impede progress, and to suggest practical and doable steps to both fill gaps in scientific knowledge and improve management approaches.

To be successful, according to the report, coastal management improvement efforts need to be comprehensive and holistic, with regionally scaled programmes comprising replicated local projects, and enthusiastically adopted by local coastal communities.

Greater transparency to government decisions is needed as well, given the worldwide prevalence of economic / governmental structures and procedures that tend to discount environmental costs when evaluating the benefits of coastal development projects.

Greater transparency can also become effective armor in combating effects of widespread public-sector corruption on environmental decisions. Management agencies of poorer nations, lacking financial resources or scientifically trained staff, and frequently faced with greater levels of corruption and mor
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