Establish and operationalize a National Institute for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management in India

Working with the Institute of Ocean Management at Anna University, Chennai, India we contributed an international review and best practice principles study in support of a World Bank initiative to establish a National Institute for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management, including capacity building and strengthening of this Institute as well as of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The analyses included, for countries where ICZM is adopted, the different skills, the science and management knowledge that exist and the processes through which these capacities supports the different countries in designing and implementing ICZM policies and plans. The review covered National-level institutions and their:

• Mandate, roles, and functions;
• Organizational model that helps (or makes it difficult) to deliver the functions;
• Human resources and the way the organizational model helps development the required knowledge skills;
• Physical and financial resources, including the research facilities;
• Powers of the management including financial and procurement powers; degree of autonomy and performance indicators;
• Sources of funding, relationship with the funding agencies (including separation of scientific decision-making from the sources of funding).