● Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is hugely misunderstood and, in many cases, not understood at all. What exactly does it consist of?

It?s not any particular form of management that can be taught, let?s say, as an MBA. ICZM is a principle that needs to be interwoven into a country?s institutional set-up, at the national level in particular. It is practically the glue that holds together the independent institutions that participate in the policy-making and monitoring processes of anything related to the use of resources, whether natural or economic. It seeks to adjust modes of use to the carrying-capacity of a system, to adjust them to a sustainable level, so as to ensure that resources are not overused and that the general public is participating in the revenues gained from the system. In brief, it is to ensure that all sectors of society are participating in the coastal revenues.

● Why is it important?

ICZM is important because of the complexities of coastal zones, which start inland and reach out up to several kilometers into the sea. It looks at all kinds of services and economic sectors involved in the zones. That means anything from coastal aquaculture, mariculture, offshore fisheries, agricultural activities and watershed manage- ment. ICZM involves the widest possible array of actors and provides them with guiding principles on how to they can interact in order to come up with a functional and efficient system.

● What challenges does Mauritius face in terms of coastal zone management?

Over and above the environmental issues, such as climate change and coastal erosion, which are obvious and well-known in Mauritius, the complexity of the set-up is a challenge. There is a huge array of ministries involved. They are already, or should be, on their way of participating in the improvement of ICZM. This is something that ReCoMaP is supporting here in cooperation with the ministry of Environment. Another challenge is that ICZM is not usually accounted for in budget allocations. The increase in the number of tourist arrivals to two million should definitely be addressed. ICZM can help a lot in this respect, it should not be seen as a hindering factor. If implemented properly, ICZM opens up a lot of possibilities by bringing together the different ministries.

?The target of two million tourists is a very ambitious one and people have to think of what it will mean for the country.?

● How can tourism sector actors ensure that the resources on which they depend for their livelihood are used in a sustainable way?

There are several ways to go about this. They have to be very specific in their mid- and long-term expectations in terms of what kind of tourism they want. The tourism sector needs to get closer to the ministries that are involved with the environment in a way that both sides understand the other?s interests. The target of two million tourists is a very ambitious one and people have to think of what it will mean for the country. Mauritius still has that exclusivity status, particularly in Europe. There?s a risk of only increasing revenues by 20 or 30%, because that standard and price level will not be maintained if it?s not done properly. Mauritius is not the first country to think of massively increasing tourist arrivals and ICZM offers tools on how to go about it, on how to make projections and the like.

● In addition to training courses, how does one get all the relevant ministries to work together harmoniously?

The only thing that is going to get them that far is themselves. What ReCoMaP is supporting is ideas on how to go about it, to make sure that it is understood that there is a considerable greater good in budgetary terms at stake. We try, for example, to project the cost of not implementing climate change mitigation measures. We?re talking about several million dollars per year just for Mauritius. The Stern report on the economics of climate change has projected that climate change will cost the world USD230 billion per year. In that sense, it?s in the interest of all ministries to participate in the mid- and long-term planning. One must understand that ICZM is not primarily about environmental protection and conservation. It?s much more accessible when one thinks about it in purely economic terms. It?s the maximization of the system to make use of resources in a sustainable way. ICZM is not a green field per se; it?s far more of a management field.

● Tell us a bit about the training course.

It?s a seven-day special short course in modular form. It contains three modules. The first one is on principles of policy development in ICZM. Module two is on the planning process or how to implement the policies. The last one is on monitoring and indicators, how to make sure the processes are properly monitored. It?s a regional course, which means that we have participants from our coverage countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius. Unfortunately, those from Somalia could not attend, for obvious reasons. Participants come from the entire range of ?actors?, meaning government and non-government actors, who are involved with ICZM-related policy-making. This includes ministries, district and village councils, NGOs and community representatives, to ensure that even the most local perspective is taken into consideration.