Coastal Zone Management Program

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Coastal Zone Management Program" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program is a voluntary partnership between the United States federal government and the country's coastal and Great Lake states and territories authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 to address national coastal issues.^[1] The Act provides the basis for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing the United States' diverse coastal communities and resources. To meet the goals of the CZMA, the National CZM Program takes a comprehensive approach to coastal resource management— balancing the often competing and occasionally conflicting demands of coastal resource use, economic development, and conservation. Some of the key elements of the National CZM Program include protecting natural resources; managing development in high hazard areas; giving development priority to coastal-dependent uses; providing public access for recreation; and coordinating state and federal actions.