The University Centre of the Westfjords will host a symposium on Coastal Zone Management and Spatial Marine Planning September 3rd and 4th, 2009. The symposium is held in connection with the beginning of the academic year in the master's studies in Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre. It is also a part of a work in progress by the University Centre, the Association of Municipalities in the Westfjords and Eik Planning Agency on utilization planning for the coastal zones in the Westfjords.

The goal of the symposium is to discuss coastal zone management in Iceland and the possibility of using spatial marine planning as a tool to support sustainable use of resources and minimize conflicts among users. Specialists from Iceland, Canada, The Shetland Islands and Italia will introduce coastal zone managment and spatial marine planning in their respective countries.

The Symposium will be held at the University Centre of the Westfjords and will start at 10 o´clock on Thursday morning and continue until Friday afternoon. The schedule on Friday afternoon will also be a part of the sixtieth anniversary of the Association of Municipalities in the Westfjords. The symposium will be held in English.