2.1 Principles
The Indian National Green Party's policies for the management of our coasts are based on the following general principles which underpin ecologically sustainable development:
a) the protection of biological diversity and the maintenance of ecological integrity;
b) the use of material resources in accordance with the Earth’s capacity to supply them and to assimilate wastes arising from their use;
c) equity within and between generations; and
d) public participation and involvement.
2.2 Goals
The Indian National Green Party aim to:
a) increase ecological, economic and social awareness of the importance of coastal and inland waters and of human impacts on them;
b) protect coastal ecosystems;
c) allow the replenishing of stocks of depleted aquatic and coastal life;
d) reduce the harvest of all coastal resources to well within an ecologically sustainable limit;
e) protect fish breeding areas;
f) reduce marine and other aquatic pollution, including from diffuse urban and agricultural sources;
g) increase the involvement of local communities in the management of coastal, onshore and aquatic resources;
h) ensure an integrated approach to management;
i) improve local, national and global coordination of coastal management policies;
j) locate activities that are not coast-dependent away from the coastal zone; and
k) develop long-term strategies to contain urban and tourism development.
2.3 Short Term Targets
The Indian National Green Party will work to:
a) establish a comprehensive national system of marine reserves in Indian waters by the year 2005;
b) for existing fisheries, immediately prohibit an increase in level of harvest, and determine as a matter of urgency the requirements for ecological sustainability and regulate the catch accordingly, with a substantial safety margin to ensure sustainability;
c) work with the States and Union Territories and/or directly with local government to complete an environmental audit of the coastal zone by 2005 and an action plan by 2010;
e) implement a national legislative/planning regime to control land use and development in the coastal zone, including a moratorium on new subdivisions until completion of the coastal action plan;
f) ban all new sandmining operations in the coastal zone and inland rivers..