Tunisia recently ratified the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol, almost 14 years after its adoption in Madrid, Spain. By virtue of Decree No 2022-917 dated 29 November 2022, which appeared in the Journal officiel de la Republique tunisienne, Tunisia has given its formal consent to be bound by the provisions of this legal instrument.
For the institutions, civil society organizations and individuals working for more sustainable and resilient coastal zones in Tunisia, the ratification of the ICZM Protocol constitutes a major development. Here are four things you should know about this legal instrument and its significance in Tunisia and around the Mediterranean.
1. A legal instrument that is part of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol is one of the seven Protocols that complement the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention), which was introduced in 1976—and amended in 1995— under the auspices of the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP).
The ICZM Protocol complements the regulatory framework established by the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system by focusing on the strengthening of the integrity of coastal ecosystems and their resilience. It is the first instrument of its kind to be introduced in a regional sea context, making the Mediterranean a pioneer in this field.
2. Coastal protection becomes a legally binding obligation
From an initial focus on the marine environment, the Barcelona Convention was amended in 1995 to extend its coverage to the coastal zones. The amended Barcelona Convention encompasses the key principles adopted at the landmark 1992 Rio Conference, including the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources and sustainable development.
Since 1995 the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, assisted by UNEP/MAP and its Regional Activity Centre PAP/RAC, have introduced measures that created a favorable momentum but fell short of making the protection of the coasts legally binding. The ICZM Protocol, adopted in 2008, filled the gap. The process of its preparation under the auspices of UNEP/MAP, with technical support from PAP/RAC, had taken six years.
3. A legal instrument that addresses the vulnerability of coastal zones
The coastal areas constitute a pillar of the blue economy, which provides millions of jobs and a significant chunk of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in many Mediterranean countries. Growing pressure from economic sectors combined with the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution pose threats to the integrity of coastal ecosystems and curtail the potential of the blue economy.
Climate change is interacting with existing drivers of environmental degradation, notably urbanization and pollution in its multiple forms, to exacerbate the stress that the Mediterranean coast reels under. As ecosystems suffer, communities must grapple with heightened disaster risks, such as extreme weather events that cause flooding and erosion, and with the salinization of river deltas and aquifers that sustain agriculture, food security and livelihoods.
Integrated coastal zone management aims at reconciling the health of ecosystems with social and economic development in the coastal context.
4. Implementation of the ICZM Protocol fosters the protection of coastal zones
By ratifying the ICZM Protocol, Mediterranean countries commit to turning its legally binding provisions into national law and to ensuring compliance and enforcement. This has two important benefits. First, it encourages governments and national authorities, including parliaments, to take active steps to protect the coasts as part of the pursuit of sustainable development. Second, it provides a legal framework for accountability within which civil society organizations, the media and informed citizens can demand action and progress for healthier and more resilient coastal zones.
UNEP/MAP and PAP/RAC are supporting the implementation of the ICZM Protocol in several ways, including by beefing up methodological toolkits and technical capacity. One of the main tools being promoted is Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). MSP addresses a range of challenges: from unsustainable urbanization and tourism to overfishing and pollution in its multiple forms.
The ICZM Platform that PAP/RAC puts at the disposal of a wide array of actors and practitioners in the Mediterranean region offers important tools for the protection of coastal areas and ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change.
Learn more:
Coastal resilience is the theme of the 2022 edition of Mediterranean Coast Day
The Young Person’s Guide to the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Barcelona Convention
