Geographic Information System for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in developing countries: cases studies in Mauritania, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Morocco
Résumé
Despite leadership of developed country in Geographical Information System field and Integrated Zone Coastal Management field, ICZM and GIS together have been compared to a puzzle. This involves questioning on capacity to put together such ICZM and GIS in developing country. We focus on four of such developing countries (Mauritania, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Morocco) to highlight difficulties to understand and to manage coastal area with the use of geographical information system. Sustainable management of coastal areas is critical to the long-term health, safety and welfare of many African communities of these (and other) countries. Despite their importance, coastal zones are being modified or reclaimed, often driven by economic and financial motives. Coastal management offers the opportunity to illustrate the use of GIS and related spatial information technologies not only on coastal issues, but in the broader arena of land use planning. Initiative of coastal area management in the Africa countries has been reviewed in a number of relatively recent papers. The aim of this study is to review, synthesize and analyse experiences on coastal management along coasts of Mauritania, Côte d"Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Morocco. This allows us to rank these countries from country with a huge lack of geographical information and too broad view of coastal management to country with a lead in GIS technology coupled with a good approach of ICZM. The place of developed countries in this rank is also taking into account.