PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Gaza Strip contains a rapidly growing population, already amounting to one million people. This population growth, combined with limited land resources, the physical isolation of the area, and its underdeveloped environmental management system has caused various serious environmental problems. Pollution of the coastal zone and seawater, deterioration of natural resources and natural habitats, and diminishing fish populations are particularly serious. The Palestinian Environmental Authority recently completed the 10-year Palestinian Environmental Strategy Plan. The coastal and marine environmental issues identified in this Strategy Plan require additional capacity to be properly followed-up.
OBJECTIVES
The project’s overall objective is to reverse and prevent further depletion and deterioration of the Gaza coastal zone and marine environment. The project purpose is to develop a coastal and marine action programme. This programme will consist of two major components: 1. The establishment of a coastal and marine environmental protection committee composed of key stakeholders in coastal and marine management (e.g. government, NGOs, fishery sector, tourism sector, etc); and 2. A set of coastal and marine protection measures in line with the Palestinian Environmental Strategy Plan, including the following components: 1) Sand exploitation and erosion protection plan; 2) Marine ecological conservation plan; and 3) Coastal and marine information system.
RESULTS
The project has achieved three main results: First, a Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection Committee was set up, consisting of representatives of the Ministries of Environmental Affairs, Local Government, Planning and International Cooperation, Finance, Agriculture and Public Works, the Gaza Municipality, Seaports Authority, Sand Directorate, Palestinian Water Authority and the Palestinian Coastal Police. In addition, the project has also set up three task forces within the framework of the Committee, organised around coastal erosion, sand exploitation and marine pollution. Second, the project elaborated an information system: the Gaza Marine Information System (GAMIS). GAMIS is a user-defined version of COZMIS (the Coastal Zone Management Information System), developed by Delft Hydraulics and the Coastal Zone Management Centre (the Netherlands). It displays map-based data such as ESRI shapefiles and Arc/Info coverage plus ‘georeference’ scanned images. Despite its name, GAMIS is not limited to marine issues, and the system includes data on: current environmental status for sand and erosion status, and the marine ecological status; and current driving forces and pressures, organised largely according to sector. Finally, the project defined a clear set of priorities for coastal and marine issues. The project has produced the “Gaza Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection and Management Plan” (December 2001) which contains information on: 1. The current status of the coastal zone, including coastal erosion, sand exploitation, and marine and coastal ecosystem (covering fisheries); 2. Pressures and impacts on the coastal and marine environments; 3. Identification of protection themes, targets and indicators; 4. Interventions for coastal protection and prioritisation; and 5. Institutional development of coastal and marine environmental protection. The involvement of the Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection Committee throughout project implementation has ensured the dissemination of project activities and results to local stakeholders. The project has achieved three main results: First, a Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection Committee was set up, consisting of representatives of the Ministries of Environmental Affairs, Local Government, Planning and International Cooperation, Finance, Agriculture and Public Works, the Gaza Municipality, Seaports Authority, Sand Directorate, Palestinian Water Authority and the Palestinian Coastal Police. In addition, the project has also set up three task forces within the framework of the Committee, organised around coastal erosion, sand exploitation and marine pollution. Second, the project elaborated an information system: the Gaza Marine Information System (GAMIS). GAMIS is a user-defined version of COZMIS (the Coastal Zone Management Information System), developed by Delft Hydraulics and the Coastal Zone Management Centre (the Netherlands). It displays map-based data such as ESRI shapefiles and Arc/Info coverage plus ‘georeference’ scanned images. Despite its name, GAMIS is not limited to marine issues, and the system includes data on: current environmental status for sand and erosion status, and the marine ecological status; and current driving forces and pressures, organised largely according to sector. Finally, the project defined a clear set of priorities for coastal and marine issues. The project has produced the “Gaza Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection and Management Plan” (December 2001) which contains information on: 1. The current status of the coastal zone, including coastal erosion, sand exploitation, and marine and coastal ecosystem (covering fisheries); 2. Pressures and impacts on the coastal and marine environments; 3. Identification of protection themes, targets and indicators; 4. Interventions for coastal protection and prioritisation; and 5. Institutional development of coastal and marine environmental protection. The involvement of the Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection Committee throughout project implementation has ensured the dissemination of project activities and results to local stakeholders.