Coastal zones are dynamic and resource-rich areas that are home to a large portion of the world's population. In India, coastal zones provide many natural resources and ecosystem services but also face numerous threats from pollution, development, and climate change impacts. To manage these areas sustainably, the national government has established the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) framework, categorizing coastal areas based on sensitivity and regulating activities. This framework is periodically updated to improve protections for coastal and island ecosystems in India.

1. COASTAL ZONE
MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
AISWARYA S

2. COASTAL ZONE
Coast is the zone of interaction
between land and sea where both land
and oceanic processes work.
Interphase between land and water
Most dynamic, resourceful and
disaster prone zone of any country.

3. IMPORTANT SINCE
 Coastal Zone is endowed with a very wide range of
habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves, sea grasses,
sand dunes, vegetated stungle, mudflats, salt marshes,
estuaries, lagoons etc.,
 majority of the world's population inhabit such zones.
 Characterized by distinct biotic and abiotic processes.
 Continually changing

4. Coastal zones include the entire continental shelf and
occupy about
 18% of the surface of the globe,
supplying about 90% of global fish catch
 accounts for some 25% of global primary
productivity while at the same time being some of the
most endangered regions on the planet.

5. COASTAL ZONE
Total coast line of the world is 35, 6000 km and
the coastal area covers more than 10% of the
earth surface
 About 40% of the world’s population lives
within 100 km of the coast.
 About 10% of the world’s population resides in
low elevation coastal zone

6. INDIAN COAST
 India has 2.2 million sq. km. of marine territory along
its coast for economic exploitation.
 The export of marine products by our country earns
around 1000 crores annually
East coast stretches of land have also valuable minerals
proposed to be exploited
 India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity centres in the
world.
 12% of all the world’s fishes are in India, or about
2200 species
 Wetlands: About 4 million ha (2.6 million are man-

7. COASTAL ZONES IN INDIA ASSUMES
IMPORTANCE BECAUSE OF
high productivity of its ecosystems,
concentration of population,
exploitation of renewable and nonrenewable natural
resources,
 discharge of waste effluents and municipal sewage,
 industrialization
spurt in recreational activities
Thus, regular monitoring of coastal zone is
indispensable.

8. THREATS
Rapidly increasing populations and associated
urbanization
 Commercialization and monetization,
 Technological improvement
 Detrimental fishing methods
 Logging of forests and mangroves
 Pollution
 Changing agricultural practices
Coastal developments or conversions

9. •Pollution
Oil spill
Solid waste
•Land reclamation
•Sea level changes
Inundation
Salinity intrusion

12. Discharge of huge quantities of untreated
sewage into sea leads to eutrophication,
resulting in toxic algal blooms or “red-tides”.
 Expansion of urban settlements, exploitation
for fuel, agricultural development and
construction of fish and shrimp ponds put
pressure on mangroves and coastal wetlands
 Almost 60% of world’s reefs threatened by
human activities.
 Coral reefs prone to severe damage from
natural disturbances - cyclones and
temperature extremes.

13. MANAGEMENT AT NATIONAL LEVEL
In response to growing environmental
deterioration, the Ministry of Environment
and Forests (MoEF), of the Government of
India (GoI), introduced Environmental
Guidelines for Beaches in 1983.
It addresses the issues related to
land/marine eco-systems and prepares
guidelines for environmental management
of beaches

14. To regularize the activities along the
coastal region, the Government of India
has enforced the Environment (Protection)
Act 1986
Declared coastal stretches up to 500 m
from the high tide line and the land strip
between the high tide line and low tide
line as the Coastal Regulation Zone

15. To have a control over exploitation and check
further deterioration of coastal resources, the
Government issued a major notification in
1991, under the Environment Protection Act,
1986, framing rules for regulation of various
coastal zone activities.
These rules are called the Coastal Regulation
Zone (CRZ) rules.
CRZ is classified into four categories
depending on the sensitivity of the
zones.I,II,III,IV

16. In order to examine the issues of implementation
of the 1991 Notification the Ministry Constituted an
Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof.
M. S. Swaminathan in 2004.
The main recommendation of this Committee was
to issue the draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ)
Notification, 2008 to replace the 1991 notification.
However, the draft CMZ Notification 2008 attracted
a large number of representations especially from
the fisher folk and the local communities

17. To examine the issues raised in these
representations, the Ministry constituted another four
member Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof.
MS Swaminathan in June of 2009.
Major recommendation of the Committee was to let
the draft CMZ Notification of 2008 lapse and instead
strengthen the CRZ Notification of 1991.
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of
India, proposes to issue a new Coastal Regulation
Zone Notification of 2010 detailing new provisions
that are proposed to be incorporated in the existing
Coastal Regulation Zone notification 1991

18. A separate draft Island Protection Zone
Notification has been issued for protection of
the islands of Andaman & Nicobar and
Lakshadweep under EPA, 1986.
The State or Union territory CZMA shall
identify the violations of CRZ Notification,
1991 within a period of three months from the
date of issue of this notification and take
necessary action in accordance with the EPA
1986 within a period of six months from the
date of issue of this notification.