Perceived socio‐economic and environmental costs and benefits of ICZM in Scotland

Abstract

ICZM in Scotland has followed a voluntary approach to date through local coastal fora. The socio‐economic costs and benefits of these fora are assessed based on a two‐track approach. Much of the information is based on analysis of questionnaire returns from the individual fora, while the ecosystem services approach was adopted to model economic impacts of the fora activities at two scenario levels: low and high level ICZM. Key features of the fora are presented, as is their perceived impact on the economy. The value of Scotland's coastal zone is presented in the form of the annual value of ecosystem services.

Key words:

• Local Coastal Fora (LCF)
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
• Annual Value of Ecosystem Services (AVES)
• costs
• benefits
• Scotland