Sustainable coastal development indicator system studies in Latvia

An appropriate characterization of preconditions and trends for decision-making towards the sustainable development of coastal territories in Latvia determines the need for further studies of existing wide experience and particular methods for development of European, nationwide and/or local coastal information systems. Analysis of the framework and content establishment as well as data gathering and calculation approaches for sustainable coastal development (SCD) indicators system creation, functioning and future challenges has been carried out based on a specific set of coastal indicators elaborated at the EU level, application experience of the related EU Interreg IIIC Deduce project and, particularly, the indicators system test run in Latvia, whilst also including the following practice evaluation by coastal municipalities and other main actors in the field. An initial SCD indicator system proposal for Latvia is elaborated, recognizing the main typical features of nature-environmental and socio-economic conditions, spatial scale and data gathering selective differences as well as identifying institutions and actors to be involved. The system proposal distinguishes 24 indicators, including ones for the assessment of the development of human resources and integrated management capacities, with this constituting the additional and most important SCD sector goal. These several integrative indicators shall provide information on integrated coastal sustainability and its management, particularly with regard to the efficiency of the coastal communication process. However, further testing and elaborations are required to secure the evaluation of coastal awareness, public participation, municipal planning and practice, as well as to integrate this together with well-tested bottom-up or participatory designed indicators system application.