IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROPOSED INDICATOR SYSTEM FOR COASTAL AREAS IN KEFALONIA ISLAND

摘要

In recent years coastal areas have been under serious pressure due to intense human presence and climate change. In view of severe threats on the European coast, the Recommendation 2002/413/CE was approved in 2002 and its content was about the implementation of the integrated management of coastal zones in Europe in order to protect their environment. A well -structured approach to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) requires the use of indicators to evaluate the progress and effects of the current policies. According to existing references, indicators are used for three major purposes: i) to provide information on environmental problems, ii) to identify the main factors that cause pressure on the environment and iii) to monitor the impacts of the existing policies. In addition, indicators may be used as a strong tool to inform and motivate the public about environmental issues.Numerous relevant studies and projects have taken place all over the world during the past years. Despite the ongoing developments, further research on this issue has to be considered aimed at finding a more suitable indicator system. The main objective of this paper is to draw up a comprehensive set of Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) for coastal areas, capable of providing an inclusive assessment of the current situation and identifying all the threats and weaknesses that coastal zones face, so the most suitable policy can be selected and applied. The concept of sustainable development in coastal areas and the definition of Sustainable Development Indicators in relevant reports are mentioned. The methodology followed for the creation of the proposed indicator system based on the SUSTAIN project is thoroughly analyzed and presented. Subsequently, this indicator system is applied to the coastal area of Kefalonia island and based on the results useful conclusions can be drawn and important considerations about coastal areas policies are displayed.