Coastal Zone Management

Beyond its project commitments, Yemen LNG is planning to contribute to the development and implementation of some projects within the national Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). The purpose of this multi-donor scheme is to preserve the unique environment along the coastline of the Gulf of Aden. 

Coastal Zone Management in the Gulf of Aden and along the coastline of Shabwa dates back to the Jeddah Convention of 1982 when the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) was founded. Yemen is a signatory to this Convention and had also ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1996.  A national environmental action plan was launched in 1996 with two key objectives relating to the protection of the coastal marine environment:

• To prepare and develop an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP)
• To develop and establish a system of marine protected areas (MPAs) with effective management plans

These actions are implemented through a project designed with the support of and funding of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The pilot sections of the coastal zone identified by the GEF Project are located in the Governorates of Shabwa and Hadhramout:

• Bir-Ali-Burum, 75 km in length, west of Mukalla: a site characterised by its coral reefs (Pilot Area 1)
• Sharma-Jethmun, 50 km in length, east of Mukalla: a major sea turtle nesting site (Pilot Area 2)

These pilot areas were chosen because of their known biological diversity and the potential threats from uncontrolled commercial activities, including artisanal fishing. Yemen LNG's plant is located in Balhaf on the western edge of Sector 1, and forms part of the proposed Zoning Plan under the overall Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). The zoning plan is a key outcome from the CZMP design project and will determine the permissible developments along the coastline. There is a number of zoning definitions under the CZMP, with Balhaf defined as a General Use Zone (GUZ), the least restrictive in terms of economic activity. The current zoning status is influenced by the two GEF funded marine surveys undertaken in 2002 and 2005, respectively. The 2002 survey concentrated on Pilot Area 1, the area that covers the Balhaf bay. The zoning plan, which defined Balhaf as part of a General Use Zone was communicated to Yemen LNG by the Yemen Environment Protection Authority in July 2005. 

Funding for the implementation of the CZMP has not yet been secured, thereby limiting the prospects of coastal zone management in the pilot sections. Yemen LNG has therefore decided to support this important initiative, which would otherwise be a missed opportunity for Yemen. Yemen LNG agreed with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to provide funding to help to implement the Coastal Zone Management Plan for Zone 1.  The precise level of funding will be determined once the management plan has been confirmed by EPA and has been translated into legislation. The current plan is for Yemen LNG funding to be managed through an independent third party with relevant competence and experience to ensure appropriate and optimal use of the funds in improving the coastal management of Zone 1.