The difficult road to Integrated Coastal Zone Management implementation in Italy: Evidences from the Italian North Adriatic Regions

This work examines the evolution of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) concepts implementation in the Italian North Adriatic Regions: Marche, Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia between 2006 and 2011. In order to achieve such an objective a web-based survey has been realized and addressed to the different local and regional authorities that are competent, with different status and legal powers over coastal management. The study shows that in the considered area, although some improvements have been recorded, thanks to the transposition into the Italian legislative framework of EU provisions and above all, to local and regional efforts and initiatives, ICZM concepts are still far from being widely adopted. The weakest points reported are the fragmentation and poor coordination of the coastal management framework; the low attention given to economic data monitoring and stakeholders involvement. Furthermore, the lack of political support in the medium-long term and the availability of funds as well as the absence of monitoring and assessment strategies hinder the establishment of sustainable ICZM practices in the area. The findings of the study are then compared with other Countries, in order to draw conclusions on the barriers to ICZM implementation.