Doing more with the same: A reality-check on the ability of local government to implement Integrated Coastal Management for climate change adaptation

- Local governments face considerable challenges in their ability to implement Integrated Coastal Management due to, among other factors, limited resources, capacity and competing demands.
- Frameworks for Integrated Coastal Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Management are often poorly integrated at the local government level.
- Local governments require greater support from Provincial and National government to implement these various frameworks.
- In Mozambique, the coastal management mandate of the various levels of government needs to be articulated more clearly in the legislation to activate local government action on coastal issues.

Many countries are implementing Integrated Coastal Management (ICM, also known as Integrated Coastal Zone Management or ICZM) as a means to promote the sustainable use, development and protection of coastal environments. It has also been shown that there is a policy and institutional relationship between ICM and climate change adaptation. This paper examines the relationship between ICM and climate change preparedness of local government with reference to empirical studies conducted in two developing nations, Mozambique and South Africa. Using a mixed-methods approach (content analysis of local government planning documents and semi-structured interviews with key informants), results demonstrate the level of integration of coastal management, disaster management and climate change adaptation in local development planning; and assess the state of implementation of ICM and climate change adaptation by selected local governments in the two countries. The paper makes recommendations on how to improve ICM development and implementation for coastal adaptation. The results suggest the need for closer integration between coastal management, disaster management and climate adaptation frameworks; highlight the need for enhanced support for local governments from provincial and national government; and greater clarity with regards to the coastal management mandate of local government (especially in Mozambique).