Importance of the Coastal Zone The world's coastal regions are densely populated and environmentally vulnerable. they are subject to increasing pressures from many sources, including industrial development, Urban expansion, the exploitation of marine resources and tourism. There is thus an urgent need to integrate the many uses made of coastal resources and to developthem in harmony with the environment. An integrated

approach to coastal and marine management is needed to resolve the conflicting demands of society for products and services, taking into account both current and future interests.

A lack of human capacity, particularly in coastal management. It is proposed to use a suite of interventions such as mentoring, learning-by-doing, training, degree education, peer-to-peer exchanges and participation in interdisciplinary efforts to refine coastal governance pratices, as part of the capacity building approach.

The two-year Master in Coastal Management addresses the current and future engineering, environmental and socio-economic challenges facing developed and developing countries of tropics. The complexities in managing development and use of marine and coastal resources have led to the need for experts with advanced knowledge and skills in engineering, natural and social science disciplines. The newly-developed Master Programme adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the study of integrated coastal management in recognition of the need for individuals who can understand both landward (e.g. indigenous communities) and seaward (e.g. coastal structures, ecology etc) concerns.