Indicators for sustainable development and information systems in support of integrated coastal zone management in Belgium, the southern North Sea and Europe

Growing concerns about the state of the coast in Europe prompted the European Commission and the Parliament to approve the Recommendation concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, (2002), calling for an integrated approach to monitor and measure the sustainable development of the coastal zone and addressing the need for relevant, credible and reliable information. DEDUCE (Developpement Durable des Zones Cotieres Europeennes) is a transnational project supported by the INTERREG IIIC-South Community Initiative Programme. Its main objective is to evaluate the utility of sustainability indicators (SI) for optimal decision making on the coast, following the principles of the EU recommendation on ICZM, at all levels: European, national, regional and local. The specific objectives include: