Handbook 13

Coastal Management
Wetland issues in Integrated Coastal Zone Management

This 2nd edition of the Ramsar handbooks replaces the series

published in January 2000.
 Acknowledgements

Principles and guidelines for

incorporating wetland issues into Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
 Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Principles and guidelines for incorporating wetland issues
into Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

Appendices

Relevant Resolutions and Recommendations

 Foreword

Principles and Guidelines

 Principles and guidelines for incorporating
wetland issues into Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM)
(adopted as the Annex to Resolution VIII.4 by the 8th Conference
of the Contracting Parties, Valencia, Spain, 2002)

The purpose of these principles and guidelines

Principles and guidelines for incorporating wetland issues into
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

Principles and guidelines

Additional guidance for

the implementation of the wise use concept
Guidelines for integrating wetland conservation and wise use into
river basin management Enhancing the
conservation and wise use of intertidal wetlands
Guidelines for the allocation and management of water for
maintaining the ecological functions of wetlands
New Guidelines for management planning for Ramsar sites and
other wetlands Additional guidance for
identifying and designating under-represented wetland types as
Wetlands of International Importance

Principles and guidelines

Background and context
[Start Box
Additional information

FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

and other related publications

What is the Code of Conduct for Responsible

Fisheries?
 Fisheries Management- 2. The ecosystem approach to
fisheries

End box ]

Principles and guidelines for incorporating wetland

issues into ICZM
A. Recognizing the role and significance of the Ramsar
Convention and wetlands in the coastal zone

Principle 1. The Ramsar Convention is the global

intergovernmental treaty that specifically addresses the
conservation and wise use1 of coastal zone ecosystems.

Guideline No. 1 – Ensuring the delivery of Contracting Parties’

commitments under the Ramsar Convention through ICZM

Guidelines for
developing and implementing National Wetland Policies

Guidelines for international

cooperation under the Ramsar Convention
{See also Handbook 2}

Principle 2. The full incorporation of wetland conservation and

wise use issues into ICZM is essential for a successful
sustainable coastal management process.

Guideline No. 2 – Ensuring full incorporation by Contracting

Parties of wetland conservation and wise use issues into ICZM,
as essential for a successful sustainable coastal management
process
{See also Handbook 6}

B. Ensuring full awareness of the values and functions

of wetlands in the coastal zone

Principle 3. Coastal wetlands have important values and functions

and provide multiple goods and services of high economic
value.

The overall role of coastal wetlands in providing goods and

services, values and functions
{See also Handbook 11}

Guideline No. 3 – Ensuring full recognition of the multiple goods

and services of high economic value provided by coastal
wetlands

Guiding Principles for taking into account the

cultural aspects of wetlands for the effective management of sites

The role of coastal wetlands in coastal processes

{See also Handbook 8}

Guideline No. 4 – Ensuring the recognition by Contracting

Parties of the key role of wetlands in coastal processes
 The role of coastal wetlands in mitigating impacts of natural
hazards, pollution, and flooding

{See also Handbooks 4, 8, and 12}

Guideline No. 5 – Ensuring the recognition by Contracting

Parties of the role of coastal wetlands in regulating water flows
and water quality
 The role of coastal wetlands in mitigation of, and adaptation
to, impacts of climate change and sea-level rise

{See also Handbook 8}

 Guideline No. 6 – Ensuring the recognition by Contracting
Parties of the role of coastal wetlands in mitigating impacts of
climate change and sea-level rise

The role of coastal wetlands as important reservoirs of high

species biological diversity, including migratory and non-
migratory species and threatened species

{See also Handbook 10}

Guideline No. 7 – Ensuring the recognition by Contracting

Parties of the role of coastal wetlands for wetland-dependent
migratory and non-migratory species and threatened species
C. Using mechanisms for securing the conservation and
sustainable use of wetlands in the coastal zone

Principle 4. Mechanisms to resolve jurisdictional overlap in the

coastal zone must fully include the legal and institutional
frameworks for wetlands.
{See also Handbook 3}

Guideline No. 8 – Resolution of issues related to the legal and

institutional frameworks and jurisdictional overlap in the coastal
zone

Principle 5. Many stakeholders use coastal wetlands and must

participate fully in their management.
{See also Handbook 5}

Guideline No. 9 – Ensuring stakeholder participation in the

conservation and wise use of coastal wetlands

inter alia
Guidelines for establishing and strengthening local communities’
and indigenous people’s participation in the management of
wetlands
Principle 6. The designation and management of Wetlands of
International Importance in the coastal zone provides a
global mechanism for the identification and recognition of
critically important parts of coastal zone ecosystems, as the
basis for their sustainable management.

Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of

International Importance

{See also Handbook 7}

Guideline No. 10 – Ensuring the recognition of the role of Ramsar

sites and their management in the ICZM process

Strategic
Framework and guidelines for the future development of the List of
Wetlands of International Importance
 New Guidelines for management
planning for Ramsar sites and other wetlands

Principle 7. Coastal wetlands are highly vulnerable to degradation

and loss, but although easily degraded their restoration is
costly and sometimes impossible.

{See also Handbook 8}

Guideline No. 11 – Ensuring that Contracting Parties consider

issues related to the degradation, loss and restoration of coastal
wetlands
D. Addressing the integration of the conservation and
sustainable use of wetlands in broad-scale
integrated ecosystem management

Principle 8. ICZM should be linked with river basin/catchment

management and oceans and fisheries management so as to
secure the conservation and sustainable use of coastal
wetlands.
{See also Handbooks 4 and 12}

Guideline No. 12 – Ensuring the recognition by Contracting

Parties of the linkages between wetlands, ICZM, river
basin/catchment management, and oceans and fisheries
management
 Appendix 1

ICZM definitions, terms, and current approaches

What is Integrated Coastal Zone Management?

Definitions and terms in the coastal zone

 coastal zone

Coastal area

Coastal waters

Intertidal area (or zone)

Coastline

Shore lands
General principles and practice of ICZM
vertical

horizontal

systemic

functional

spatial

policy

science-management

planning

temporal
European Strategy for ICZM
 Appendix 2

Rationale for the principles for incorporating wetland

issues into ICZM

Principle 1. The Ramsar Convention is the global

intergovernmental treaty that specifically addresses the
conservation and wise use of coastal zone ecosystems.

Marine/Coastal
wetlands

permanent shallow marine waters

marine subtidal aquatic beds

coral reefs
rocky marine shores

sand, shingle or pebble shores

estuarine waters

intertidal mud, sand and salt flats

intertidal marshes

intertidal forested wetlands

coastal brackish/saline lagoons

coastal freshwater lagoons

marine/coastal karst and other subterranean hydrological

systems

Aquaculture ponds
 Salt exploitation sites

{See also Handbook 1}

{See also Handbook 9}

Principle 2. The full incorporation of wetland conservation and
wise use issues into ICZM is essential for a successful
sustainable coastal management process.
Principle 3. Coastal wetlands have important values and functions
and provide multiple goods and services of high economic
value.

The overall role of coastal wetlands in providing goods and

services, values and functions

Economic Valuation of Wetlands: A

Guide for Policy Makers and Planners,
The role of coastal wetlands in coastal processes

The role of coastal wetlands in mitigating impacts of natural

hazards, pollution, and flooding
The role of coastal wetlands in mitigation of, and adaptation
to, impacts of climate change and sea-level rise

The role of coastal wetlands as important reservoirs of high

species biological diversity, including migratory and non-
migratory species and threatened species
{See also Handbook 9}
Principle 4. Mechanisms to resolve jurisdictional overlap in the
coastal zone must fully include the legal and institutional
frameworks for wetlands.

{See also Handbook 3}

Principle 5. Many stakeholders use coastal wetlands and must

participate fully in their management.
{See also Handbook 5}

Principle 6. The designation and management of Wetlands of

International Importance in the coastal zone provides a
global mechanism for the identification and recognition of
critically important parts of coastal zone ecosystems, as the
basis for their sustainable management.

Strategic
Framework and guidelines for the future development of the List of
Wetlands of International Importance

Strategic Framework
 New Guidelines for management planning for Ramsar sites
and other wetlands

{See also Handbook 7}

Principle 7. Coastal wetlands are highly vulnerable to degradation

and loss, but although easily degraded their restoration is
costly and sometimes impossible.
{See also Handbook 7}

Principle 8. ICZM should be linked with river basin/catchment

management and oceans and fisheries management so as to
secure the conservation and sustainable use of coastal
wetlands.

Guidelines for integrating wetland

conservation and wise use into river basin management
{See also Handbook 4}
Relevant Resolutions and Recommendations

Resolution VIII.4
(adopted by the 8 Conference of the Contracting Parties, Valencia,
th

Spain, 2002)

Principles and guidelines for incorporating

wetland issues into Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM)
 Principles and guidelines for incorporating wetland
issues into Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
 Principles and guidelines

Strategic Framework and guidelines for

the future development of the List of Wetlands of International
Importance

inter alia
 Recommendation 6.7
(adopted by the 6th Conference of the Contracting Parties, Brisbane,
Australia, 1996)

Conservation and wise use of coral reefs and

associated ecosystems
 Recommendation 6.8
(adopted by the 6th Conference of the Contracting Parties, Brisbane,
Australia, 1996)

Strategic planning in coastal zones

inter alia
 Resolution VII.21
(adopted by the 7th Conference of the Contracting Parties, San José, Costa
Rica, 1999)

Enhancing the conservation and wise use of

intertidal wetlands

calls on Contracting Parties

along the East Asia flyway to designate additional wetlands for the
Ramsar List, and in particular to designate additional intertidal
wetlands
 Resolution VIII.32
(adopted by the 8th Conference of the Contracting Parties, Valencia,
Spain, 2002)

Conservation, integrated management, and

sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems and
their resources

inter alia,

inter alia,
Strategic Framework
 New Guidelines for management planning
for Ramsar sites and other wetlands