In the former article we mentioned the main barriers to good governance in marine and coastal areas. In this article we want to dive deeper and discuss several specific barriers.
Fragmentation
Fragmentation is a common problem, we already showed in the former article. Different authorities manage different parts of the same area, while policies for land, coast and sea are often developed in isolation, with diverging objectives, geographical scales and planning cycles.
This conclusion is illustrated in the videos of Alice Puppin (case study North Adriatic), Joan Enguer (case study Valencia) and Néstor Marrero Rodríguez (case study Canary Islands).
Lack of leadership
Formally assigning responsibility does not guarantee that anyone actually drives coordination. Where roles and mandates are unclear or overlapping, no actor has the authority or incentive to connect sectors and government levels, and change stalls. BGG’s policy brief lists unclear roles and mandates among the main obstacles to institutional change. The Oslofjord shows the problem: the Minister for Climate and Environment is formally responsible for the national action plan, yet four years of implementation brought no improvement. Coordinating measures across sectors and 118 municipalities proved very difficult, and the government stresses that all measures remain voluntary. Research on Réunion, in turn, identifies strong political leadership as a key enabler of change.
Limited resources
Meaningful participation and implementation require sustained funding, staff and time, yet these are often scarce. BGG therefore recommends securing sustained resources and personnel for stakeholder engagement and allocating resources to help vulnerable communities adapt to change. The case studies show the gap. In the Canary Islands, the need for agreement across four governance levels contributes to a lack of project funding. In Flanders, uncertain budgets raise questions about whether the next Sigma Plan will keep its commitment to nature restoration. In the Oslofjord catchment, upgrading wastewater treatment could double water bills for residents.
Cross-border problems
Ecosystems do not stop at national borders, but governance does. Pollution, currente, climate impacts and human activities can affect neighbouring countries. Yet those countries may have different institutions, policies, priorities and ways of working, which can lead to ambiguity and incoherent approaches. In the North Adriatic, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia have signed several cross-border agreements, yet according to the case lead these rarely go further, and real progress happens bottom-up. In the Scheldt, Flanders integrated nature restoration into flood risk management from 2005, while nature-based solutions in the Dutch Western Scheldt meet cultural and political resistance. The Flemish-Dutch Scheldt Commission focuses mainly on dredging and access to the Port of Antwerp, leaving long-term climate adaptation and nature restoration secondary.
Watch Uyen explain the obstacles of cross-border situations.
Strong economic powers
Environmental ambitions must compete with powerful economic interests. BGG research finds recurring tensions between sustainability aims and economic interests, and shows that power imbalances shape whose voices count in final decisions. In the Oslofjord, the national priority of food security and agricultural self-sufficiency may conflict with reducing nutrient run-off, and the farmers’ association has publicly questioned the modelling results. In the Scheldt, port accessibility dominates the cross-border agenda. In the North Adriatic, the Port of Koper has not taken part in any BGG event, and tourism businesses find the process hardly relevant. And in the Canary Islands, the influence of tourism, the private sector and other economic activities can make it difficult to prioritise long-term sustainability goals, illustrating how governance barriers are often intertwined with existing power structures and economic independencies.
Watch Néstor reflect on the governance and economic challenges in the Canary Islands.
Does it all sound complex?
Yes. It is complex. It is no coincidence that change in marine and coastal governance is such an arduous process. If you want to read more, see our Policy Report on Institutional Barriers and Enablers.
Listen to Ellen Fobé explain why changing governance systems is so challenging, and what we can do about it.