Start with what the people know: a community based approach to integrated coastal zone management

While there has been increasing recognition of the role that coastal zone management has to play in dealing with coastal issues and problems, much of the debate has centred on national, pan-national or global perspectives. This paper highlights the need to work at the local scale, presenting problems of coastal zone management in the Bantry Bay area, southwest Ireland. The first part of the paper describes the attributes of the bay, providing a geographical context for the present case study. Following on from this, the various activities operating in the bay are examined, and resultant problems highlighted. The opinions of the local community are then considered based on the results of a survey carried out among the coastal stakeholders. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate a need and then examine the possibilities for a community based approach to integrated coastal zone management. The philosophy behind this approach is encapsulated in the statement: ‘Start with what the people know.’