• HOME
• EXPLORE
  • Oceans
    • Coral Reef Conservation
    • International Collaboration
    • Marine Protected Areas
    • National Marine Sanctuary System
    • Ocean Exploration
    • Oil and Chemical Spills
  • Coasts
    • Coastal Decision-making Tools
    • Coastal Ecosystem Science
    • Coastal Zone Management
    • Coastal Monitoring and Observations
    • Contaminants in the Environment
    • Ecological Forecasting
    • Harmful Algal Blooms
    • National Estuarine Research Reserves
    • Natural Hazards Assessment
    • Natural Resource Restoration
    • Training and Capacity- Building
  • Charting and Navigation
    • Aerial Photography and Shoreline Mapping
    • Global Positioning
    • Height Modernization
    • Hydrographic Surveying
    • Marine Navigation
    • Tides and Currents
  • Ocean Facts
• EDUCATION
• NEWS
  • Weekly News
  • Press Releases
  • Features
• MULTIMEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Video
  • Image Gallery
  • Fun & Entertainment
• OFFICES
  • Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
  • International Program Office
  • Management and Budget Office
  • National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
  • National Geodetic Survey
  • Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
  • NOAA Coastal Services Center
  • Office of Coast Survey
  • Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management
  • Office of Response and Restoration
• OUTREACH
• PUBLICATIONS
• DATA EXPLORER
  • Data Explorer Help
  • Tools and Resources
  • Data Web Sites
  • Data by Topics
  • Search for Data
• WEB SITES
• ABOUT
• 

Coastal zone management involves managing coastal areas to balance environmental, economic, human health, and human activities

The concept of coastal zone management is a relatively new one, emerging less than four decades ago from the need to tackle an array of interconnected problems associated with population growth and development along our nation’s coasts.

The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) was passed in 1972 and provided a formal structure to address the challenges of continued growth in coastal areas. Administered by NOAA, the CZMA recognizes that ensuring access to clean water and healthy ecosystems that support a vibrant coastal economy requires effectively integrating science, technology, and public policy. The goals of the CZMA are to “preserve, protect, develop, enhance, and restore where possible, the coastal resources.”

One program under the CZMA, the National Coastal Zone Management Program, encourages coastal states and territories to work in partnership with the federal government to design and enforce local programs consistent with the CZMA and accompanying regulations. Today, 34 of the 35 eligible coastal and Great Lakes states and territories have entered into the voluntary partnership.

As a result of the Coastal Zone Management Act and the success of its programs, coastal communities are equipped to better address continued economic development of the coastal zone while accounting for natural resource management. This will ensure the health and stability of the coast, both environmentally and economically, into the long-term future.

For more information:
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management: Partnering with States to Manage Our Coastline
The Coastal Zone Management Act: A History of Treasuring Our Coastlines and Estuaries