As part of a three-year study, an assessment was made of the main parameters essential for documenting coastal scenery perception. The assessment included a literature search, questionnaires given to coastal users in different parts of the world, and consultation with coastal landscape experts. Landscape values ‘can be assessed and described or illustrated in objective and subjective terms by landscape professionals, consulting with a wide range of interest groups and people and analyzing all relevant information’. Results obtained through this work enabled key elements to be condensed down to 26 ‘coastal scenic assessment parameters’. These parameters are: Cliff Height, Cliff Slope, Cliff Special Features, Beach Type, Beach Width, Beach Colour, Shore Slope, Shore Extend, Shore Roughness, Dunes, Valley, Land Form, Tides, Landscape Features, Vistas, Water Colour, Vegetation Cover, Seaweed, Disturbance Factor, Litter, Sewage, Non-Built Environment, Built Environment, Access Type, Skyline, Utilities.

This tool serves the purpose of understanding and projecting natural forces which are shaping the shoreline in order to plan the optimal placement and design of breakwaters: Use available and field data (for all seasons) on near shore bathymetry (depth profiles), wave height, direction, and period; tidal regime and currents; sediment composition (seabed and suspended), and wind patterns, to calibrate and validate numerical models. Map outputs on wave climate, tidal regime, sediment transport and bathymetry. Use projected hydro- and sediment dynamic conditions to determine feasibility, best design and placement of breakwaters.

The project core team approached two municipal governments, the regional hotel associations, almost 40 hotel owners and managers, technical institute faculty and architects, and engineers’ associations to assess their interests in participating in the project. Partners organized panels and meetings to present the project, its importance and forms of participation. This phase was critical to fully involve interest groups - not only to provide information, but more importantly, to increase their willingness to use the results. Stakeholders participated in the kick off process, provided information, reviewed results, revised each identified practice, and are currently involved in catalog dissemination.

Development of the best practices catalog was facilitated by a core team of experienced partners, each one with a distinct role and niche. A team charter details each partner’s role and responsibilities. The core partners were: The state environmental agency, which aims to reduce risks to coastal communities and the tourism industry. The agency was key to align partners’ interests but did not participate in the core team. A regional tourism initiative, which has worked for 10 years in the area to reduce tourism impacts on the environment. The initiative has developed catalogs of best practices, provided training and technical assistance, and serves on technical committees to review municipal land use zoning. The local architecture school trains both students and professionals, and works with municipalities to improve urban conditions, land use zoning and building codes. The school involved faculty and students from ocean management, biology, and engineering sectors, and provided faculty time and facilities. A global NGO partner developed tools to assess coastal climate change risks and to promote the use of natural defenses. The organization helped form alliances and partnerships, and provided funding to conduct the process.

A series of multi-stakeholder consultations and workshops to draft and review the Act ensured full stakeholder participation and fostered compliance with regulations. The Internal Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Act has since been reviewed and updated several times and now includes policies on ecosystem research, tourism and management plan for the buffer zone. It was communicated to the public through outreach activities. Trainings and information campaigns promoted awareness and understanding of the global significance of this biodiversity hotspot.