Government initiatives

Governments play an essential role as mediators and regulators, creating the enabling political, economic and institutional environment for sustainable development. UNEP, as an inter-governmental organisation, assists governments to produce effective policies and implementation programmes. From multilateral environmental agreements to national governments, through local authorities and regional organisations, UNEP's Tourism Programme provides support by developing principles and offering technical assistance to destination management organisations interested in using the Local Agenda 21 frameworks, and by producing environmental standards (e.g. Blue Flag campaign).

Although self-regulatory techniques are often said to be more effective than statutory regulation in addressing specific environmental issues, only governments can provide the strategic planning base for tourism, which is so clearly needed. Governments can play a crucial role in helping to design and fund programs that ensure important and fragile habitats are identified, baseline studies and monitoring are carried out, and that overall infrastructure needs and implications are assessed. Furthermore, governments are often the only bodies that can establish pollution standards, marine protected areas, and ultimately ensure that these are enforced. For example, they can help facilitate the implementation of a marine protected area zoning plan - by strict zoning laws- that limit where shoreline development can occur. Environmental impact statements are required for development that occurs in these permitted zones and additional shoreline management permits are only awarded after each coastal impact is evaluated and remediation measures are guaranteed.

In the USA, within specified coastal zone boundaries, individual states and/or their local governments regulate activities that could negatively impact coastal and marine habitats. Other federal programs also serve to protect coastal habitats. Example of such programs are those under the Clean Water Act's Section 404 (dredge and fill program) and Section 320 (National Estuary Program); the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (controlling ocean dumping); the Coastal Barrier Resources Act; the National Seashore Program; the Endangered Species Act; and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In addition to the national coastal zone management programme, a countrywide system of estuarine research reserves, which provides a representative system of natural field laboratories for management-related research and monitoring exists.