The coasts of Latin America at the end of the century

A new management model is needed for the Latin American coastal zone and it s resources. During the nineties, some very interesting management initiati ves were implemented. Nevertheless, in general terms, coastal management is relatively backward in comparison with other regions of the world. There a re also very different levels of coastal management within the various Lati n American countries themselves. In spite of these differences, the cultura l homogeneity of the area could serve to facilitate international cooperati on for more integrated management. Such an initiative would not only help t o find a specific Latin American management model, but would also contribut e to improving the levels of technical training, scientific knowledge, exch ange of experiences and South-South co-operation. Also, the effectiveness o f the initiatives carried out by countries with more highly developed syste ms of coastal management could be reduced if the surrounding States do not undertake similar initiatives.