CC MRCMRC News News Nuachtlitir an Ionad Acmhainní Cósta is MaraNuachtlitir an Ionad Acmhainní Cósta is Mara

The Quarterly Newsletter of The Quarterly Newsletter of the Coastal & Marine Resources Centrethe Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, , est. 1994est. 1994, housed in , housed in the Lewis Glucksman Marine Research Facthe Lewis Glucksman Marine Research Facilityility

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Issue 5, Spring/Summer 2004Issue 5, Spring/Summer 2004

The expansion of the Irish economy has led to increased pressure on the coastal zone. Poorly planned development is impacting on seascapes and landscapes, and is limiting traditional public access to the foreshore. Coastal industries such as fishing, aquaculture, tourism and shipping play significant roles in supporting t h e c o a s t a l p o p u l a t i o n . However, the multitude of associated activities can also have detrimental effects on coastal habitat and water quality, in addition to creating conflicts of use among different interest groups.

This issue looks at a number of projects in the CMRC, which aim to raise awareness of the need for an integrated approach to coastal zone management and to identify best practice in approaches to coastal management. Efforts are needed to push coastal management onto the policy agenda in Ireland, while research is required to identify mechanisms for sustainable coastal resource exploitation and management.

We report on community based approaches to coastal management, which were highlighted at the CoCoNet project workshops; a new report which makes recommendations o n n a t i o n a l p o l i c y development; and the setting up of a European network of coastal practitioners.

Managing Our Coasts

Agnes McLaverty (Shell Ireland) and Valerie Cummins pictured at the Irish stand. (Photo: Noel Murphy, DCMNR)

In This IssueIn This Issue • Fishing and Aquaculture in Rural Communities • Coastal Communities Network • Focus on Integrated Coastal Management • International Coastal Symposium

• BiblioMara: Chultúr agus Oidhreacht ar Chósta • EurOCEAN 2004 • New Coastal Management Course

Fishing and Aquaculture Face Tough TimesFishing and Aquaculture Face Tough Times

The Aquaculture and Coastal, Economic and Social Sustainability (AQCESS) project concluded in December 2003. The aim of this three year EU funded project was to examine the socio-economic impact of aquaculture and the fishing industry in rural coastal communities.

Study sites in Bantry Bay and the Dingle Peninsula showed that the main factors of conflict and concern in the fishing industry are related to decline in fish stocks and the market price, as well as an old inshore fishing fleet, which is leading to a decline in young people entering the industry. One of the main concerns re lated to the aquaculture industry is its effect on the environment. Both industries were concerned with the spiraling cost of insurance, and felt that compulsory training in health and safety and quality would be of benefit to all.

For more information or copies of the report, contact C a t h a l O ’ M a h o n y ( c .omahony@ucc.ie) or Valerie Cummins (v.cummins@ucc.ie).

EurOCEAN 2004EurOCEAN 2004 In May over 550 European marine s c i e n t i s t s , p o l i c y - m a k e r s a n d representatives of the marine industry sector gathered in Galway at the EurOCEAN 2004 Conference. A key outcome was the Galway Declaration. More information can be found at http://www.eurocean2004.com.

Aquaculture is an important industry in Bantry Bay.

The Coastal Communities Network (CoCoNet), an Interreg IIIA funded project, aims to explore mechanisms to provide coastal communities in Ireland and Wales with a sense of participation and involvement in the management of the coastal zone, as well as facilitate communication between the different interest groups.

CMRC researchers working on projects under the theme of Integrated Coastal Management aim to promote the development of management techniques to facilitate the sustainable development of the coastal zone. Research in this area involves study of the effectiveness of institutional arrangements, legislation, policy and levels of stakeholder interactions in the coastal management process.

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FOCUS: Integrated Coastal Management

Local Communities Share Experience on Coastal ManagementLocal Communities Share Experience on Coastal Management

Top: Participants from the southern Irish Sea region gather on a blustery Bull Island. Centre: Attendees at the first meeting visit the Bull Island Nature Reserve in Dublin. Bottom: Local Councillor Ray Grant talks to CoCoNet delegates about flood defence issues at Borth, Cardigan Bay, Wales.

“I was gripped with inspiration as he “I was gripped with inspiration as he “I was gripped with inspiration as he unfolded his group’s journey.”unfolded his group’s journey.”unfolded his group’s journey.”

--- Attendee comment on presentation Attendee comment on presentation Attendee comment on presentation of CoastCare initiativof CoastCare initiativof CoastCare initiativeee

Examples of local community-led efforts to address some of these issues were presented. The CoastCare Initiative involves people in caring for their local coastal environment by promoting and supporting safe and enjoyable conservation activities. Steve Cannon from the Freshwater East CoastCare group distributed CDs and beer mats, which are being used to disseminate messages about the coastal environment, aimed in particular at tourists visiting local beaches.

The Aberystwyth workshop presented additional successful coastal community activities. The Ceredigion Marine Heritage Coast partnership and the Lacken Community Development Organisation in Mayo have both brought visible improvements to their coastal areas. Information was also made available on how to obtain funding for future coastal community management initiatives.

The final workshop, on June 17th, aims to facilitate the development of new project ideas and will produce recommendations on ICM, which it is hoped will influence policy development in Ireland and Wales. Workshop reports and the registration form for the Wexford workshop can be downloaded from http://coconet.ucc.ie. If you would like to find out more about CoCoNet, please contact Val Cummins (v.cummins@ucc.ie) or Cathal O’Mahony (c.omahony@ucc.ie).

The network provides participants with an opportunity to learn from community groups who are taking a ‘bottom up’ approach to managing their local coastal areas. Workshops have been held in Dublin (January) and Aberystwyth (April). A further one is planned for Wexford on June 17th.

The Dublin workshop identified a number of issues of concern to participants, including:

• Intensive coastal development • Lack of ICM policy and guidelines • Lack of political will and public awareness of

coastal resource management issues • Pollution of the marine environment and depletion

of resources • Lack of access to information on coastal

management initiatives • Inadequate capacity to implement effective coastal

management.

New M.A. Course in Coastal ManagementNew M.A. Course in Coastal Management

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FOCUS: Integrated Coastal Management

The next issue will focus on GIS, remote sensing, modelling and Internet technologies at the CMRC.

Integrated Coastal Management: Review of Best Practice Report Integrated Coastal Management: Review of Best Practice Report

The purpose of this two-month study, commissioned by the Heritage Council, was to examine approaches to Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) within the international, regional and European context, with the aim of identifying best practice. Case studies from the UK, Norway, New Zealand and Australia were selected for review because of their relevance to the Irish situation. As EU member countries are obliged to develop national coastal management policies by 2006, it is hoped that this study will contribute to policy development in an area which is currently dominated by a sectoral approach to resource exploitation and management. Recognising the importance of local authorities in the implementation of coastal management objectives, the authors believe that development of a national policy, which outlines a holistic approach to ICM and includes guidelines for local planners, is imperative. You can order a copy of the report directly from the Heritage Council (Beatrice Kelly) or contact Valerie Cummins (v.cummins@ucc.ie) for more information.

Northwest Europe Joins Hands on ICMNorthwest Europe Joins Hands on ICM

Almost €1 million from the European Regional Development Fund (Interreg IIIC) has been allocated to aid cooperation between EU coastal regions and municipalities in order to improve the effectiveness of coastal policies and practice. Valerie Cummins and Jeremy Gault attended the kick-off meeting for this 3-year project in the Hague in March. This Coastal Practitioners Network (CoPraNet) includes 21 different institutes (including the CMRC) from 12 partner countries. By combining universities, research institutions and local and regional authorities, the network has access to those who study the effects of various natural and man made factors on coastal areas and those who implement policy decisions on a day to day basis. For more information, go to http://www.coastalpractice.net, or contact Jeremy Gault (j.gault@ucc.ie) or Valerie Cummins (v.cummins@ucc.ie).

The Department of Geography, UCC, in collaboration with the CMRC, is offering a new MA in Geography (Coastal Management and GIS), starting in October 2004. This one-year taught Masters will provide comprehensive insights into coastal management and will introduce students to state of the art technologies and techniques for coastal monitoring. Students will be encouraged to conduct their dissertations in institutes such as the Virginia Institute for Marine Science, which has a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation with UCC. For further information, see http://cmrc.ucc.ie/pages/ma.html.

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Other News

CMRC News is published quarterly by the CMRC. A pdf version can be found at: http://cmrc.ucc.ie/news. Editor: Ned Dwyer, n.dwyer@ucc.ie Layout and Design: Liz O’Dea, l.odea@ucc.ie Additional Photos: Liz O’Dea, Ned Dwyer, Cathal O’Mahony, Jim Mitchell (Severn Estuary Partnership) Disclaimer: The views expressed by the CMRC are not necessarily those of either the ERI or UCC.

Coastal and Marine Resources Centre ERI, University College Cork

Naval Base, Haulbowline Cobh, County Cork

Ireland Tel: +353 21 4703100 Fax: +353 21 4703132

http://cmrc.ucc.ie University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

BiblioMara BiblioMara -- Chultúr agus Oidhreacht Chultúr agus Oidhreacht an Chósta na hÉireannan Chósta na hÉireann

Má tá eolas á lorg agat ar ábhair atá foilsithe ar photaí gliomach, ar thodhcaí fhuinneamh na dtonnta, nó ar a tharla don Armáid Spáinneach, mar shampla, ‘is é Bibliomara a bheidh ag taisteal uait. Tá an tionscnamh maoinithe ag an Chomhairle Oidhreachta agus is leabharliosta é a bhfuil nótaí agus treoir ann. Tá beagnach 3000 iontráil ar áthair atá bunaithe as staidéar ar chultúr agus oidhreacht an chósta na hÉireann. Tá Bibliomara le fáil go poiblí i bhfoirm PDF ó http://cmrc.ucc.ie. D’oibrigh Roinn Béaloidis UCC agus Meitheal Mara ar an dtionscnamh chomh maith leis an CMRC. BiblioMara BiblioMara -- Ireland’s Coastal Ireland’s Coastal

Culture and Heritage Culture and Heritage

If you want to find published materials relating to Irish maritime heritage and culture, ranging from lobster pot making to the future of wave energy, then you will find the BiblioMara bibliography of great interest. This Heritage Council-funded project has recently released an annotated, indexed bibliography with almost 3000 entries relating to cultural and maritime heritage studies of the coastal zone in Ireland. BiblioMara is now publicly available and can be downloaded in PDF format from http://cmrc.ucc.ie. The project was undertaken by the CMRC in partnership with the Department of Folklore (UCC) and Meitheal Mara.

Coastal Management Coastal Management is a Global Concern is a Global Concern

Professor Robert Devoy and Lee Swift presented recent research conducted by the coastal processes and seabed mapping group at the 8th International Coastal Symposium. The conference was hosted by Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI), situated on the coast of Santa Catarina Province in southern Brazil. It provided a multi-disciplinary forum for coastal scientists, engineers, planners and managers to present recent advances in scientific, technical, and socio-economic understanding of environmental issues related to coastal processes.

It was evident from the many presentations that regardless of location, coastal managers are faced with similar issues to those experienced in Ireland. A fieldtrip to Florianopolis Island put presented research into context, and showed how socio-economic factors and coastal processes are so closely related in this part of Brazil (see photo). More information on the conference may be found at http://www.cttmar.univali.br/~ics2004/.

Supporting Chernobyl ChildrenSupporting Chernobyl Children

On a showery Sunday in March, three CMRC staff participated in a 15-mile sponsored cliff walk from Ballycotton to Ballyandereen and raised €219 for the Chernobyl Children’s Project. Over 150 people braved the elements in this annual event organised by the Midleton Outreach Group. Information on the project can be found at http://www.chernobyl-ireland.com.

New FacesNew Faces

Dídac Perales i Giménez is a graduate in Environmental Sciences from the University of Girona in Spain. He has a grant from the EU Leonardo da Vinci Training Programme and will spend a year at the CMRC working on the MIDA and CoPraNet projects.

This slum occupation of sand dunes at Ingleses beach, Santa Caterina Island, Brazil, is blamed for disturbing natural sand transport. Local politicians pushing for its removal fail to address coastal impacts of neighbouring concrete high-rise apartments. (Photo: Lee Swift)