Hellenic Coastal Policy Recent Landmarks,
Perspective and Some Ideas

John Kiousopoulos

Technological Educational Institution of Athens (EL)

Key words: Hellas, Spatial Planning, Coastal Area, Land Use, ICZM

Abstract

Apart from a brief review of the past Hellenic efforts in the realm of spatial planning, includ-ing the recent statutory reformation in the context of sustainable development [Law 2742/1999], this presentation intends to depict critically the under approval Special Frame-work (Plan) for the Hellenic coastal space. This kind of legislation (directive) indicates the beginning of a new hopeful period towards the implementation of a coastal spatial policy in Hellas, after a long period of non-effective efforts or non-efforts.
The Special Framework purpose is to lay into force rules, for both the environment protection and the improvement of the coastal areas productivity, through the integrated spatial devel-opment and the rational management of coastal resources. The examined document recog-nises land and marine section along the Hellenic coastal areas, critical and dynamic zone as well. It contains the following three main chapters:
1. objectives of the national spatial strategy for coastal areas,
2. guidelines for the integrated management of coastal areas,
3. action plan for the next 15 years.
On the other hand, it is obvious that such a "technical/legislative" approach, which is focused no more than to the coastal areas, is not enough to provide the appropriate implementation of integrated coastal management. Many other parameters have to be considered (and be taken account, including of their mutual interactions), like: national sectoral policies objectives, public and private sector activities, the influences of other EU policies, appropriate level of the administrative decentralization, the new concept of territorial cohesion etc. The final im-pact of the above parameters on the coastal area is difficult recognized and hardly measured. In any case, is almost impossible to manage an area without comprehensive, clear and con-tinuously monitoring and updating information network.
For the above displayed reasons, the need for new tools to study the spatial notion of coastal areas is very essential and necessary. The construction/development of more sophisticate in-dices is crucial to outline a feasible procedure of recording, measuring, parameterization and finally modeling and presenting (via GIS) any new man-activity on the coastal areas. In this context, the presentation will try to give a rough idea of new indicators related to the shoreline or the "man-made activities volume".
In fact, this presentation is part of a broader research of the author, concerning the monitoring of coastal (physical and manmade) spatial changes along a coastal region. This research in-tends to write down the past facts, to investigate the present situation and to propose the deci-sion makers good practices of measuring and charting the coastal proceedings. Consequently, it is directly related with the coastal land uses and the attached productive activities, the coastal environment and the sustainable use of its resources.