Rabski, K.. National Integrated Coastal Zone Management strategy and initiatives in Poland. In: Schernewski, G., Löser, N. (eds.). BaltCoast 2004 - Managing the Baltic Sea. Coastline Reports (2), pp. 1-7. 2004.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Poland is not existing so far. There are also no a clear legal background for this procedures, however there are a quite good law system connected with coastal management. The State plays still a significant role in decision making here, also because of financial instruments connected for example with coastal defence and protection against the erosion. Still valuable Polish coast, as a typical soft and young type of coast, is more and more popular for tourism and recreation and these kind of activities seams to be the most important sectors to realise ICZM. Boundaries changes till 1945, political changes and lack of democracy mechanisms in former time as well as lack of coastal education, actual short-time political influences make ICZM procedures very difficult. Still the spatial planning on the level of local communities is not clear in the coastal zone. There are some drastic examples illustrated the results of such a situation: wrong seawalls localisations, destruction of parts of valuable coasts because of too intensive tourism development. On the other hand there are some positive examples, where compromise is possible and NGOs (as EUCC-Poland) can be a good platform to realise many aspects of ICZM in Poland.