The CRZ Notification, 2019 has been criticised for progressively diluting coastal environmental safeguards in favour of development. Examine the major challenges in India’s coastal regulatory framework and assess whether Integrated Coastal Zone Management offers a more effective alternative.

CRZ have seen progressive dilution of coastal safeguards like reducing the No development zones in densely populated rural areas from 200 m to 50 m and relaxing floor spaced index norms for CRZ-II areas.

Existing challenges in India's Coastal Regulatory Framework:

• Fragmented governance
• Coastal regulation is divided among MoEFCC, State CZMAs, Tourism and Urban Development Departments, leading to overlapping mandates and weak coordination.
• Weak Ecosystem-based Planning
• CRZ primarily regulates activities through zoning rather than managing interconnected ecosystems such as mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs and wetlands.
• Inadequate Climate Change Integration
• Limited consideration of sea-level rise, coastal erosion, storm surges and coastal flooding despite increasing climate risks highlighted by the IPCC AR6.
• Weak Enforcement and Monitoring
• Limited monitoring capacity & Frequent violations through illegal construction, sand mining and tourism infrastructure.
• Limited Community Participation
• Traditional fishing communities often have inadequate representation in coastal planning.

ICZM Provides as an alternative

• Ecosystem-based Management - Unlike CRZ's regulatory zoning, ICZM manages the coast as a single socio-ecological system, integrating mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, and coastal livelihoods.
• Multi-sectoral Coordination - it harmonises fisheries, tourism, ports, urban development and environmental conservation as recommended by IPCC AR6.
• Climate-resilience - It incorporates hazard zonation, vulnerability mapping and risk reduction, aligning with the Sendai Framework. 4. Community-based Governance promoting participation of coastal communities, especially traditional fisherfolk, in decision-making.
• Balancing Blue Economy with Conservation

CRZ provides the essential legal framework and ICZM offers the governance framework. India's coastal future lies not in choosing one over the other, but in integrating strong CRZ enforcement with ecosystem-based, climate-resilient and community-centric ICZM.