SAVE THE SWILLY - September 14 ,2004

SUBMISSION RE: DONEGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2006-2010

Donegal has a proud record in the area of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), having participated in the LIFE-sponsored project which produced a Guide to Rural Beach Management. Following that project, Donegal has continued its work on coastal zone management, with a carefully-researched strategy on marine leisure and a current cross-border project on beach management, which is focused on Rossnowlagh and Benone.

It is known and acknowledged that Ireland's coastal zone is an area of considerable natural wealth, but also one of diversity and, indeed, competition for resources. The Coastal Zone component of Ireland's Spatial Strategy document, published in 2001, notes that "The physical diversity and dynamism of the coast has created an environment that is both highly productive and biologically diverse and which, in turn, is one of the main attractions of the zone for economic activity."

The same document concluded that "The need for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is accepted by the Government as a commitment in its Action Programme for the Millennium and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources, as lead Department, is charged with preparing (after consulting all relevant Departments) policy and legislative proposals for Government consideration."

While this national strategy has not yet materialised, Donegal County Council has, in effect, embraced the concept of ICZM with its work on beach management and on marine leisure strategy. However, the concept needs to be formally embraced, and a fully-integrated programme for managing the coastline put in place. It is our belief that Lough Swilly would be an ideal location for a pilot ICZM project, as it comprises all the attributes of Irish coastal zones. It is a natural deep-water port; it has a range of fishing activities, supporting indigenous inshore and pelagic fishing communities, including oyster, mussel and lobster boats; it has existing and proposed aquaculture licences, including finfish and shellfish operations; there is an extensive and diverse leisure boating sector; there is a growing community of permanent and holiday residents on the shore; there exist serious issues relating to waste disposal, especially sewage and industrial effluent, both from onshore industries and marine-based (aquaculture) industries.

Models for the development of ICZM strategies do exist elsewhere in the world, notably in Scotland, which earlier this year published a document calling for coastal zone management strategies. These included:

• Creation of a national planning framework which includes a system of coastal and marine spatial planning;
• Encouraging local authorities to prepare coastal policy statements covering the inshore waters within 12 miles of terrestrial boundaries, for inclusion in district-wide plans;
• Creation of a coordination group within government to oversee, lead and champion the development and delivery of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in Scotland;
• Carry out and audit to ensure that the best use is being made of existing mechanisms for collection, analysis and dissemination of data;
• Generate an understanding of the monetary and non-monetary value of the coastal zone;
• Produce a good-quality report on how to get people and communities involved in decision-making related to the coast and inshore waters and review at a national level.

We believe this is a common-sense approach, and that Scotland should be commended for embracing the ICZM approach to coastal policy. In Ireland, we believe Donegal county can and should take the initiative in developing an ICZM strategy and implementing it. While the central government has accepted the principle of ICZM, there is little evidence of implementation. The Coordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems (CLAMS) is not a version of integrated coastal zone management. It is a mechanism for asserting the interests of the aquaculture industry, which is only one of many stakeholders in the coastal environment. In Donegal there is some evidence of implementation of an integrated policy (beach management, marine leisure strategy) but as yet no formal recognition of the need for a formal policy on ICZM.

As a group, STS commissioned a Scoping Study for an ICZM [Integrated Coastal Zone Management] strategy for Lough Swilly. This independent report was undertaken by the Coastal Studies Research Group at the University of Ulster (Coleraine). This group is recognised as a leading authority on Ireland's coastal zone and has worked closely with the Donegal County Council on a number of issues relating to coastal zone management. The Scoping Study has been formally presented to the Inishowen Area Electoral Committee, and a public meeting was held to discuss the contents with all interested parties. Copies of the document have been widely circulated, including to all elected representatives in Donegal and to the Donegal County Council. It represents a genuine attempt by an organisation of interested groups and private individuals to advance the cause of a coherent policy of Integrated Coastal Zone Management policy for Lough Swilly, in the first instance, and in a broader context, for County Donegal.

It is the view of the University of Ulster authors of the Scoping Study, as well as the members of Save The Swilly, that the Donegal County Council should be the lead agency in any local or regional ICZM policy It is clear that Donegal is in urgent need of a policy to address the development needs of its own coastal communities, regardless of the pace of implementation of national policy.

Development decisions, whether these be port and marine developments, aquaculture licences or any other developments that require the allocation of public resources to a particular company, group or individual, must be made in the context of an overall understanding of their impacts and on the balance of competing priorities. Unless and until the full socio-economic context of the coastal zone is understood, development should proceed with extreme caution.

The call for a fully integrated approach to managing County Donegal's coastal region is not anti-development. On the contrary, we believe that a systematic and methodical approach, starting with a detailed objective analysis of the costs and benefits of a particular activity, will serve to maximise the returns from this valuable resource.

We submit that a pilot Integrated Coastal Zone Management strategy be accepted as a core component of the Donegal Development Plan 2006-2010.

A copy of the Scoping Study for an ICZM strategy for Lough Swilly will be submitted to the Council as an addendum to this preliminary statement.

[back to top]

[Return to latest news]