On The Ground Spring 2008

Other expert couplets in the Corepoint Project

On the ground

Flanders Coupling up: Maritime Institute, University of Gent and Flanders Administration Focus: Linking the expertise of the Flanders Administration in coastal defence and the effects of climate change with the Maritime Institute’s knowledge in the field of maritime law and policy.

The heart of the Corepoint project was about building ICZM capacity through the development of long lasting, sustainable relationships with locally-based research centres and coastal professionals working daily on coastal issues. These, Corepoint called expert couplets. Did they work? The edge takes at look at two.

Donegal Beaches

Developing an integrated management strategy, Cork Harbour

Improving local community participation in ICZM projects, Mont Saint-Michel Bay

did through the development of the Cork Harbour Forum – a multi stakeholder group representing the various interests in the Harbour. This greatly helped in the production of the integrated management strategy which has just been finalised.”

Coupling up: University of Ulster and Donegal County Council Focus: Building on existing relationships including advice on soft engineering approaches to coastal erosion, the development of a beach recreational strategy and informal site level advice.

Durham Coast Coupling up: Envision Ltd and local authority, Durham Heritage Coast Focus: Developing a holistic regional level approach to ICZM.

Golfe Du Morbhian

From the practitioners – Cork County Council Cork Harbour is one of the world’s largest, naturally sheltered harbours and is characterised by several concentrated urban areas, principally Cork City but also rapidly growing towns. There is much industrial development dominated by the chemical, (bio)pharmaceutical and technology industries and recreational boating is also increasing in popularity.

From the researchers – Coastal & Marine Resources Centre (CMRC) “The local authority identified a need to look at an integrated management strategy for Cork Harbour”, says Val Cummins of CMRC. “They asked CMRC to do the research and we looked at a number of issues. These included a review of best practice in the rejuvenation of coastal brownfield sites and a detailed study regarding recreational carrying capacity to see what opportunities were available to further support boating activities. “The overarching objective however was to facilitate a more integrated approach to the planning and management of the harbour which we

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The edge Spring 2008

“Our role in the planning department is very much land use based terrestrial planning so ICZM wasn’t really something which played a major role in our day-to-day working lives. Corepoint teamed us up with a group of researchers where ICZM was a daily part of their work”, says Darragh O’Suilleabhain, Planner at Cork County Council. “The Local Authority was given initial ICZM training through Corepoint. The two day course brought together staff in the council who hadn’t met before. This alone, opened up communication between different departments. Now, for example, I can phone a local engineer from the west part of the county (around 100 Km away) for another perspective which helps with planning policy and decision making.” “Of course, one of the main outcomes was the Integrated Management Strategy for Cork Harbour. This strategy was prepared with the help of key stakeholders, who were represented on a steering group jointly chaired by Cork County Council and CMRC. The steering

Coupling up: University of Western Brittany and Ifremer (Corepoint partners) and The Intercommunal Association of the Gulf (SIAGM) Focus: Improving capacity building and experience exchanges on ICZM and also generating a GIS-based use model focusing on both sea kayaking and bird conservation.

group included Cork County Council, Cork City Council, Port of Cork, NGOs, the Chamber of Commerce and IDA.”

And the benefits….. Says Cummins of CMRC, “It was great to apply our research into a working document. We couldn’t have done this without the institutional weight of the authority to get all stakeholders together to take the strategy forward.” Says O’Suilliebhain from the Council: “It was an outstanding outcome for us. The strategy is now finished and we now start on implementation. Corepoint was the catalyst for this work to start. People knew something had to happen but day to day workings of our own organisation came first. There was a need to be more proactive.” The success of Corepoint? “Well”, says O’Suilliebhain, “apart from the strategy we (the council) want to be part of the Corepoint follow up project, Imcore. That, in itself, is an achievement because it has generated so much interest and willingness to move ICZM forward”.

Mont Saint-Michel Bay has one of the largest intertidal zones in the world and the bay is characterised by long flat beaches with a few dunes, but also cliffs and rocky coast at its western and north-eastern parts. About 40,000 people inhabit the bay but this population increases in summer with tourists attracted by the historic abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Fabienne Kervarec from the University of Brest says of the project, “The expert couplet concept developed by Corepoint didn’t really exist before Corepoint and we had to build new ways of working with the other organisation involved – in this case, Manche-Ille et Vilaine. It took us time in order to identify the issues where it would be relevant to collaborate. For Mont Saint-Michel Bay, we focused on looking at the role of those stakeholders whose participation in ICZM projects was difficult to obtain.

This involved many interviews and a final report aimed to improve the participation process of the local population.”

And the benefits... Says Manuelle Philippe, also University of Brest and part of the expert couplet team at both Mont Saint-Michel and the Gulf of Morbihan, “The result has been extremely positive in terms of better understanding and knowledge of both organisations’ issues. One area we really had to work on was simply the difference in timescales between researchers and local managers as well as each other’s key competencies. Moreover, the couplet in the Gulf of Morbihan which we were also involved in has been successful in terms of long term collaboration as the SIAGM (practitioners) is now a member of the Corepoint follow-on project, Imcore.”

Western Isles Coupling up: Aberdeen University and the Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) Focus: Various issues but including the application of risk assessment and use conflict techniques to coastal archaeological prioritisation in the region and using a biodiversity portfolio approach to assess the services provided by the coastal environment of Baile Sear Island, North Uist.

Sefton Coast Coupling up: Cardiff University and Sefton Council Focus: Developing a local information system focusing on coastal change (see p12).

Severn Estuary Coupling up: Marine and Coastal Environment Group (MACE), Cardiff University and the Severn Estuary Partnership. Focus: Developing a maritime education heritage pack for the Severn Estuary.

The edge Spring 2008

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