About the Coastal Resources Center

A picture to represent the current project

CRC's decades of experience have shown that the major coastal management challenge is not to apply technical "fixes" to technical "problems," but rather to create and sustain a dynamic process of governance. Through this process, societies can work individually and collectively to define the relationship between people and the ecosystems of which they are but one part. Key players in this process include all those who have a stake in the future of coastal resources - including communities, businesses, relevant national agencies, nongovernmental organizations, research and academic institutions, and resource users of all types. CRC's mission is to apply the principles of participatory democracy, equity and sustainable development to the formulation and refinement of the policies and actions that make progress toward a better balance between coastal peoples and nature.

Particularly effective in the development of this process is CRC's "two-track" approach, which works simultaneously at both the national and the community levels. In many countries where the capacity for effective resource management is small, the greatest tangible progress may be made initially through community-based projects. However, if these projects are not designed to shape the policies of central government, the learnings too often are not accepted, and action on a greater scale does not occur. Both those most directly affected by coastal governance - or its absence - and those with significant power within central government must understand and support a coastal management program. Without well-informed and motivated constituencies, no governance initiative can be sustained.

With more than a quarter century of experience in the practice of coastal governance, CRC is today recognized as an organization that has developed an approach that is accepted as the standard for good practice by practitioners worldwide. We believe that effective governance must be tailored to the needs and opportunities of a place and must adapt to changing conditions and its own experience while holding firm to the following fundamental principles:

Recognize that coastal management is primarily concerned with the processes of governance.
Work at the global, national and local levels, with strong linkages among levels.
Require an open, participatory and democratic process, with opportunities for all stakeholders to contribute to planning and implementation.
Build programs around governance issues that have been identified through an inclusive participatory process.
Build constituencies that support effective coastal management by informing the public of the long-term implications of the issues that are being addressed and demonstrating the benefits of improved management.
Utilize the best available information for planning and decision-making. Good governance must understand and address the management implications of scientific knowledge.
Commit to building national capacity through short- and long-term training, learning-by-doing and cultivating the host country colleagues with whom we forge long-term partnerships based on shared values.
Complete the loop between planning and implementation as quickly and frequently as possible, using small projects that demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative policies.
Recognize that programs undergo cycles of development, implementation and refinement that build on prior successes and expand to address new or more complex issues.
Set specific targets, monitor and evaluate both our performance and the outcomes that result from our effort

About the Coastal Resources Center
The CRC Approach
The Nature of the Challenge
CRC History
CRC Staff
CRC Values

Coastal Resources Center

University of Rhode Island

Objectives

Themes

Approaches

About the Coastal Resources Center