Municipal coastal governance process research and development: coastal socio-ecological system and its governance understanding

Understanding and management of the coastal resources in integrated manner, taking into account all sustainability dimensions, since approaching coastal governance as social-ecological system (SES) governance, is still a theoretical and practical challenge for those working in the field, e.g. researchers, politicians, especially for local governments and coastal communities. Integrated coastal management (ICM) is also about creation of such governance systems that allow to integrate stakeholders and diverse knowledge tools and mechanisms to enhance them. The EU BONUS BaltCoast project (2015-2018) provided an internationally acknowledged methodology – System Approach Framework (SAF), that has been adjusted in Latvia’s case study for particular situation as not just one topical coastal management problem case, but as the whole rural territories coastal governance process case, being based on research-and-development (R&D) framework study at Salacgriva local rural municipality. This allowed for SES based assessment of the local coastal governance process with five key coastal governance problem clusters identification. Further on concrete proposals for collaborative and participatory coastal governance innovation development for Latvia’s situation were suggested, being based on previously elaborated coastal science-policy interface model application at the local level and, particularly, creation of idea and designing of municipal monitoring system for first time in Latvia. Case study research application and coastal governance development recommendations from pilot practice are presented.