CZMAs and Coastal Environments: Two Decades of Regulating Land Use Change on India’s Coastline

By: Manju Menon, Meenakshi Kapoor, Preeti Venkatram, Kanchi Kohli, Satnam Kaur

The Centre for Policy Research – Namati Environmental Justice Program has recently completed a study titled CZMAs and Coastal Environments: Two Decades of Regulating Land Use Change on India’s Coastline. The study analyses the structure, functioning and performance of CZMAs. After three years of detailed and in-depth research, this report is now available as the first study on the performance of CZMAs.

The study:

• Uses data from over 350 CZMA meetings between January 1999 and March 2014
• Relies on 39 interviews with sitting and ex-members of the CZMAs and staff, consultants and officers of the MoEFCC in charge of implementation of the CRZ Notification.
• Analyses the functioning of CZMAs on their key tasks- project appraisals, coastal zone mapping, action against violations and conservation of coastal areas.

The report:

• Provides empirical data for the non-implementation of the Notification, a grievance that has resulted in much litigation and protests by fisher communities, coastal dwellers and environmental and human rights groups.
• Offers insights into the challenges to coastal regulation by drawing upon the official data generated by CZMAs and gives suggestions for improving policy, procedures and practices of coastal regulation.
• Highlights importance of the involvement of district level bodies and communities in CRZ implementation particularly in enforcement and monitoring. Many Authority members recognise the need and value of public participation.