ABSTRACT
This is the first of the three final chapters devoted to systematic comparative analysis of the findings of the fifteen country chapters. The analysis is based on the framework of ten parameters developed in Chapter 2. The purpose is to review the variety of laws and practices presented in the set of counties against the backdrop of the ICZM principles. This is the first of three comparative chapters and it is devoted entirely to the first parameter – the underlying conception of the coastal zone in each country. The starting point is to find out how (or whether) that coastal zone is legally defined in each jurisdiction. The various legal definitions are then classified using a two-dimensional conceptual framework. The first dimension classifies the definitions according to a scale of “nature-led” to “implementation-led”: At one extreme are definitions based entirely on natural features and processes; and at the other extreme are definitions based entirely on political-legal boundaries or considerations. The second dimension addresses the degree of leeway for interpretation by decision makers or the courts. This dimension ranges from broad to specific wording of the rules.
