Coastal research and policy integration (Corepoint)

Funded under the EU INTERREG IIIB programme, Corepoint was a €4.2m project with 12 Partners from Ireland, UK, France, Netherlands and Belgium. The project aimed to progress the development and implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) solutions across the Northwest Europe (NWE) region by providing practical advice to policy makers and managers. Research focussed on the issues and policies that influence coastal management at regional, national and local level. This three-pronged approach yielded results with Corepoint being referenced both in Europe and also across the international arena. Regional level conferences were organised to stimulate discussion on the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) contained in the EC ICZM Recommendation. Research focused on the legal, economic and managerial aspects of our coasts across each of the North West Europe member states. Our contribution to the project included; ICZM review and stocktake of NE England; ecosystem service valuation and assessment of risks and returns for NW EU; collaborative working with stakeholders in NE England ; an assessment of regional level approaches to ICZM; and a regional and local case study. We also developed “Schools of Excellence” in ICZM for local practitioners implemented in 4 countries. More details can be found at the project website http://corepoint.ucc.ie/.