1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



minimize the risk from natural hazards, and provide access to coastal resources for the public's 

 use and enjoyment." 



In the sections that follow, existing efforts by federal agencies the categories outlined 

 above are reviewed and assessed. The small but growing sector of ecotourism, and the need to 

 manage this activity carefully to avoid adverse impacts on protected species and sensitive 

 habitats, is also discussed. 



Coastal Management and Planning 



The United States has the oldest national coastal management and plarming program in 

 the world, initiated under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. The program, administered 

 by NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, now includes coastal 

 management programs in 31 U.S. states and territories, covering 97.2 percent of the U.S. 

 shoreline (Uravitch, 1997). The program uses incentives (in the form of grants to the states and 

 the "federal consistency" provision) to assist states in the preparation and implementation of 

 coastal management plans. These state efforts have been multifaceted and have addressed, 

 through a variety of means (regulatory, planning, public awareness raising), all uses of coastal 

 areas. 



Three management practices under the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program are 

 especially important for ensuring sustainable tourism development: (1) provisions for the 

 management of coastal development; (2) provisions to improve public access to the shoreline; 

 and (3) provisions to protect (and, where necessary, to restore) coastal environments. 



Management of Coastal Development 



All CZM programs have elements which, in effect, help manage coastal development. 

 Two of these are especially relevant to tourism development: (1) encouragement of water- 

 dependent uses in the coastal zone and (2) the appropriate siting of new facilities in the coastal 

 zone. 



Encouragement of water-dependent uses 



State CZM programs actively encourage and facilitate the use of land adjacent to the 

 shoreline for those purposes which require such a location. This policy helps ensure that 

 proposals for tourism and marine recreation projects receive appropriate consideration in the 

 government review process. It also helps ensure that meritorious coastal tourism developments 

 are not crowded out of the coastal zone by uses that do not require a shoreside location. 



Appropriate siting of facilities 



Construction of new facilities in the coastal zone must meet the setback requirements of 

 state CZM programs. While states differ in their requirements, the trend is to relate setback lines 



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