Who Should Use Coastal GEMS?
A major goal of Coastal GEMS is to foster stronger understanding of how activities on the land and in the water affect each other. It is the intent of Coastal GEMS to create a stronger linkage between local land use plans and state and federal water use policies. Coastal GEMS can be used by: • Local and regional planning agencies to better manage growth by determining the most suitable areas for conservation and development. • State and federal agencies to better manage projects such as roads and major facilities, habitat restoration, and public access plans. They could also use Coastal GEMS as a starting point for the environmental review process in order to quickly access agency data. • Academic institutions to educate students about coastal resource use and values and to provide a basis of information for classroom projects and/or research. • Private citizens, advocacy groups, and businesses to formulate their positions on the potential impacts of projects on coastal resources. • Ge
