Analysis

The analysis of impacts of social and economic activities and the sustainability aspect employs different specific tools, according to different types of pressures to be analyzed following different approaches to analysis and subsequently evaluation of an integrated system of uses and conflicts.
Arguments to be considered for the analysis are for instance:

Identification of coastal zones
A first step of analysis consists of a delimitation of the area of study, in order to be able to identify in a proper way all actors and stakeholders to be included into the process.
Whereas the seaside delimitation of coastal zones is quite consolidated (reaching normally to the limits of territorial waters), on the landside the delimitation will depend on the problems to be analyzed; integration between river basin and coastal management zone for instance is still scarcely experimented.

Mapping of stakeholders/networks
The mapping of stakeholders and of relevant actors for an integrated management activity represents a crucial initial step towards a comprehensive understanding of the problem and an integrated management process. Following a network analysis approach, a snow-ball methodology can be used, which reveals a small initial group of actors, and registers their relationships to further actors and stakeholders, analyzing the character of relationships between actors in order to depict and characterize connections within the network.

Mapping of uses and impacts
A useful framework for the description of relationships between societal and economic activities and coastal natural resources is represented by the DPSIR framework: this causal framework is based on the analysis of interrelations between driving forces, pressures, states, impacts, and responses (extension of the PSR model developed by OECD) and offers an overall view on factors, types of uses and impacts to be considered in further steps of valuation.

Analysis of uses/conflicts of uses
The challenge for an analysis of uses in coastal zone for management activities consists in the individuation of relevant existing and possible future conflicts between uses. The analysis has thus to go beyond a simple identification and classification of uses, pointing at the identification (and classification) of relationships between uses as well (i.e.: neutral or absent relationships, beneficial relationships, harmful or conflicting relationships) in order to individuate possible areas of conflicts and of mediation and/or potential relationships and their causes.

Tools for the analysis of tourism-related impacts
An example for a use-specific analysis is represented by the Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC), which attempts to assess the maximum load of activities/maximum load of users that can be supported by an area, a natural or man-made resource in relationship to the characteristics of the resources and the management facilities/assets.

Transfer of results
Because of their nature and requirements, impact identification, assessment and mitigation studies are often expensive – financially, but also in terms of human resources and time needed. Integrating efforts currently underway in various European institutions will significantly reduce the costs of conducting such studies, as well as ensuring that best practices are disseminated, synergies exploited, and duplication of efforts avoided.

Thematic Network Conference
12th – 13th  March  2007. Venice, Italy

The Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and the Consortium for Coordination of Research Activities Concerning the Venice Lagoon System (CORILA), are organizing a conference on socio economic impacts on coastal zones and their evaluation in a context of integrated coastal zone management.
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