Abstract
In the face of ever-increasing population and tourism pressures, coastal managers find it hard to keep their seaside towns and environs healthy and attractive. This occurs despite growing evidence that highlights the problem combined with experience offering proven solutions. While a lack of willingness and money are often cited as key constraints in achieving integrated management in coastal areas, haphazard responses and limited participation by locals in the process of coastal management are more significant factors explaining the lack of successful in the implementation of integrated coastal management. These experiences are very evident in developing countries. Egypt, provides an excellent case study of this experience. Although the Egyptian government has highlighted the importance of environmental issues as a national priority, sectoral policy making still predominates, leading to stakeholder conflict (Abul-Azm et al., 2003, World Bank, 2005). It is along the coastal areas that arguably these conflicts are most intense.
This paper reviews ICZM process in Egypt focussing on discussing the public participation and the stakeholder involvement. It seeks through a critical evaluation to provide some practical recommendations that could help to enhance the implementation of ICZM in Egypt and other developing countries.