Municipal thematical and territorial indicator systems for sustainable socio-ecological coastal governance

Abstract

There are recognized in Latvia the lack of locally based coastal socio-ecological research knowledge and its interpretation into municipal safety and development planning from one side as well as also only land-side oriented and separate sectorial development interests based coastal municipalities’ governance/planning practice from other side. Coastal governance practice development problems solution at the local level are to be seen at both ends of governance cycle – coastal situation evaluation (e.g. science) and policy design and implementation. Overall objective is to create, apply/test and use applicable interface system for integrated coastal science transfer into integrated coastal management (ICM), and so altogether developing whole and flexible integrated coastal governance (ICG) cycle, esp. at the local municipal level, but also coping with vertical integration with other national and international governance levels, as well as horizontal integration with other municipal development sectors. ICG complex interface system has been started to develop step-wise during realization of various research and development projects and particularly by designing and testing both complementary thematical and territorial approaches based municipal indicator systems (IS). Approaches were applied as different cross-sectorial municipal IS (coastal, climate change governance, coastal risk etc.) and, interrelatedly, eventual whole municipal development IS. There was designed and implemented Sustainable development governance IS proposal for Saulkrasti municipality, being used now for supervision of mandatory municipal long term planning document – Sustainable Development Strategy. Further proposals for coastal indicators observatory system for sealand border area administrative territories has to be developed, respecting all types of coastal components as for highly specific socio-ecological systems in the Baltic Sea region area.