An Integrated Coastal Zone Management process for a small island, a case study of Nevis

Abstract

The small island of Nevis is located in the Eastern Caribbean Archipelago. It is a small round island of volcanic origin and is dominated by the Nevis Peak. As tourism and its related activities become increasingly important to the local economy, environmental issues such as waste and sewage disposal, beach mining, ecological and coastal degradation and species depletion have emerged as growing concerns. The purpose of my research was to develop an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) process for small islands using Nevis as the case study. The first objective described the geographic sub-zones that constitute a small island environment. These sub-zones include coastal offshore sub-zone, beach sub-zone, coastal lowland sub-zone, and the inland sub-zone. The second objective entailed identifying an ICZM plan in the Caribbean and using it as an example for developing an ICZM process for Nevis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)