Changes

properly taken into account, with proper consideration given to the full range of temporal

and spatial scales, involving all coastal stakeholders in a participative way.

The province of Zeeland used to exist of sandy planes for about 10.000 years an then intertidal flats for around 8.000 years. Later on salt marshes, intertidal marshes and peat landscape developed. It is quite literally a land that was born out of the sea. For the last 500 years

the people there have invested in water safety and reclaimed land from the sea. In 1953 during springtide a big storm hit Zeeland and because of the water level the dykes breached,

this, a coastal vision was initiated. There were many governmental and non-governmental

parties involved. Equality was very important during this process. So, their role as government changed: Not the top-down policy maker, but a partner with a facilitating role so stakeholders could join forces.

==== ''2.4 Best practices'' ====