Biophysical studies have become an integral part of the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) process. Such studies, in most cases, take a significant portion of the ICM budget, costing about 14% of the year-one budget per kilometer of coastline. Yet, in a review of coastal resource management (CRM) resource profiles and plans, legislation developed in aid of CRM and augmented by interviews of 30 key informants in selected sites reveals that the biophysical data generated are underutilized. A trace of the flow on information in the ICM process cycle further reveals that in most cases, the information stops in the planning stage. The low utilization of information can be attributed to problems in accessing the information, lack of perceived need for the information, or lack of technical know-how in utilizing and/ or updating the information.
