COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 27.09.2000 COM(2000) 547 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT: A STRATEGY FOR EUROPE 2 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT: A STRATEGY FOR EUROPE Summary Our coastal zones are of strategic importance to all Europeans. They are home to a large percentage of our citizens, a major source of food and raw materials, a vital link for transport and trade, the location of some of our most valuable habitats, and the favoured destination for our leisure time. Yet our coastal zones are facing serious problems of habitat destruction, water contamination, coastal erosion and resource depletion. This depletion of the limited resources of the coastal zone (including the limited physical space) is leading to increasingly frequent conflict between uses, such as between aquaculture and tourism. ...