Portal:SPICOSA/Intro

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What is SPICOSA?

Figure: SPICOSA Study Site Applications (SSAs)
The Integrated Project SPICOSA was funded by the EU´s Sixth Framework Programme and took off in February 2007.It aims to develop and test a self-evolving, holistic research approach for the assessment of policy options for the sustainable management of Coastal Zone (CZ) systems. It is thus of high relevance to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and other related European policies.

The initiative is based on the insight that policy has not been able to respond effectively enough to human pressures on the coastal environment. A more innovative, thorough approach is needed to treat the coastal zone as an integral functioning system (the CZ System) and to focus more on providing prognostic information to decision makers on how a CZ system might respond to sustainable technical options or management strategies.

The methodological product of the project is called the Systems Approach Framework (SAF). It is based on an adaptation of the Systems Approach that incorporates the ecological, social and economic dimensions of the coastal zones together with emerging concepts on system complexity. The SAF is designed to be readily updateable, to provide an accumulative knowledge base for wider and more complex applications, and to contribute to a growing understanding the options and actions necessary for the transition to sustainable development. More...