Co-management of Tropical Coastal Zones: The Case of the Soufriere Marine Management Area,St. Lucia,WI

Centralized, top-down fisheries management models based on biological stock-recruitment have, at best, achieved limited success when adapted to Third World fisheries. Comanagement, a resource management approach oriented towards resource users and their communities, has been proposed as an alternative strategy for managing Third World fisheries. We examine the initial success and subsequent problems of one such collaborative coastal zone management project on St. Lucia's leeward coast. Factors that must be considered in the development, implementation, and maintenance of coastal comanagement systems operating in the contexts of tropical marine ecosystems in developing nations are identified and discussed.     

Governance Responses to Rapid Growth in Environmentally Sensitive Areas of Coastal Australia

The twin forces of rising affluence and population are altering coastal communities around the world. High amenity, environmentally sensitive areas—particularly attractive, non-metropolitan coastal environments—are witnessing a tidal wave of in migration from former urbanites. As a result, these communities are struggling to accommodate growing numbers of people with urban tastes and rural dreams in areas with governance structures and physical infrastructure designed for occasional tourists. This article looks at how governance frameworks in coastal Australia respond to the profound environmental, social, and cultural implications of this process. We offer a typology of non-metropolitan coastal growth settings—from exurban contexts to isolated coastal hamlets—and identify the main environmental, social, economic, and governance issues they face. We then outline the policy and legislative framework governing coastal areas in Australia and show how this framework is interpreted at the local level through an analysis of five local plans covering different coastal settings.     

Issues in Underwater Cultural Heritage Impact Assessments in China

Abstract

During the past decades, the number of coastal and marine construction projects has multiplied in China, posing a serious threat to underwater cultural heritage in its waters. In contrast, there are few rules dealing with underwater cultural heritage impact assessment which has not yet become a mandatory procedure in various coastal and marine construction projects. With China putting forward the Belt and Road Initiative, the conflicts between the protection of underwater cultural heritage and the need of various coastal and marine construction projects might become more frequent. Chinese legislation in this domain, undergoing important revision, intends to establish a mandatory procedure of proactive archeological investigation. This revision could have a great influence on the protection of underwater cultural heritage as well as the coastal and marine construction projects in China but the relevant provisions are still far from satisfactory. The present study will review the current Chinese legislation concerning the impact assessment of marine or coastal construction projects on underwater cultural heritage and explore the possibility for further improvement at the legislative level.     

Marine Stingers: Review of an Under-Recognized Global Coastal Management Issue

Dangerous marine stingers (jellyfish) are an emotive issue in tropical Australia, where they are widely regarded as the number one marine health threat. However, numerous severe and fatal stings have been reported throughout the tropical and temperate seas of the world, indicating that marine stingers are a global health problem. Further, life-threatening jellyfish stings are more frequently reported globally now compared to earlier decades, possibly as a result of improved recognition and reporting, or increased spatial and/or temporal distribution or densities. As stinging incidents may also have significant financial implications (lost tourism revenues and liability settlements), and the treatment of envenomed patients comes at high cost to the taxpayer, this issue is also a management challenge. This article outlines suggested approaches, based largely on Australian experience, for dealing with this under-recognized global coastal management issue.     

Abrolhos 2000 : Conserving the Southern Atlantic's Richest Coastal Biodiversity into the Next Century

The Abrolhos bank, an area of continental shelf off the coast of Bahia, Brazil, has the most biologically diverse coral reefs in the entire southern Atlantic Ocean. The coral reefs and nearby coastal ecosystems constitute a global conservation priority and are the target of the Abrolhos 2000 project, initiated by Conservation International as part of its global marine conservation strategy. Although portions of the Abrolhos reefs are located within a marine park, they are not afforded adequate protection due to insufficient conservation resources and a failure to be part of a broader integrated coastal management program. Through partnerships with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, local communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders, Abrolhos 2000 is working to provide these needs while establishing local capacity for conserving coastal and marine ecosystems. The project's initial successes provide examples of useful strategies for making integrated coastal management work in the context of emerging economies.     

Identification and Assessment of Scleractinians at Tarou Point,Dominica, West Indies

Tarou Point, located on the west coast of Dominica in the West Indies, is a volcanic outcrop covered with coral assemblages. Four different sections within Tarou Point were surveyed for scleractinian species richness and frequency distribution analyses. Twenty-two species of scleractinians were identified, among which Porites astreoides, Agaracia agaricites, Siderastrea siderea, and Meandrina meandrites represented the highest average abundance over all sections observed. The deep portion of section B showed the highest species diversity, while sections North D and the deep portion of section A represented the lowest. Frequency distribution trends among species depend on factors including substrate type and availability, light, depth, wave energy, and sedimentation. Tarou Point has historical, cultural, socioeconomical, and environmental significance. It is used both for artesanal fishing and as a growing recreational diving destination. Increased use of this area is leading to intense pressures on the marine environment. Tarou Point serves as one example of the prominent trend occurring throughout Dominica, in which coastal migration and the rise of tourism are placing increased pressures on coastal and marine resources. It is hoped that these data will serve as a baseline for future monitoring of Tarou Point's coral assemblages and benthic environment, as well as facilitate management and monitoring enforcement of coastal and marine resources throughout the island.     

Arctic shipping scenarios and coastal state challenges

The Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of the eight Arctic states, is currently embarked on a comprehensive assessment of Arctic marine activity in the 21^st century — the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA). One of the challenges for theAMSA study team has been to identify the major uncertainties that will be central to shaping the future of Arctic marine use in 2020 and 2050. Using scenario planning, AMSA has identified two primary drivers and uncertainties: (A) Resources and trade; and, (B) Governance. Four scenario narratives have been developed with these two, key uncertainties as the framework elements. The main arguments focus on the fact the Arctic has experienced globalization early in the century and that the global maritime industry has already ventured into the Arctic Ocean. Marine access in the Arctic Ocean is also changing in unprecedented ways and the extraordinary transformation Arctic sea ice is undergoing — thinning, extent reduction, and a reduction in the area of multiyear ice in the central ocean — has significant implications for longer seasons of navigation. However, the high prices of global commodities such as oil, gas, and hard minerals (for example, copper, nickel and zinc) have generated high levels of demand for Arctic natural resources. The Arctic states are challenged by an overall lack of maritime infrastructure to adequately support current and future levels of Arctic marine operations; ports, communications, environmental monitoring, search & rescue, incident response, aids to navigation, and coastal charting, to name a few, require substantial and timely investment by the coastal states and marine operators. A second challenge is the ongoing development of an integrated system of rules and regulations governing Arctic navigation that will enhance marine safety and ensure marine environmental protection throughout the basin. These challenges will require historic levels of cooperation among the Arctic states and broad engagement with the many, non-Arctic stakeholders and actors within the global maritime industry.     

Coastal zone management from an administrative perspective: A case study of the san francisco bay conservation and development commission

Abstract

Competent administration of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) must proceed on an informed understanding of the organization styles and capacities of agencies presently dealing with similar problems. One such agency, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the forerunner of the California model of coastal management, is analyzed here to shed light on where we are headed and what we can expect administratively as the CZMA becomes an operation reality.

The major administrative insights offered fall into the areas of: (1) effectiveness assessment‐the BCDC's success is systematically defined and measured, and a discussion of what effectiveness evaluation implies in the area of coastal resource management is undertaken; (2) understanding organizational success—the BCDC's administrative style is analyzed in terms of the synergy which has been created between its organizational structure and decision‐making process; and (3) implications of agency success—which of the BCDC's lessons are most valuable and how these can be applied to other situations are shown.     

Modeling Coastal and Marine Environmental Risks in Belize: the Marine Integrated Decision Analysis System (MIDAS)

The livelihood of coastal communities is directly linked to the health of intertidal and marine ecosystems. Coastal zones and marine areas are rapidly changing and highly vulnerable to impacts from climate change, accelerating human development, and over-fishing. Quality of life and the benefits of coastal development can be greatly enhanced, and costs minimized, by projecting and comparing alternative policy outcomes before management decisions are made. This article describes the Marine Integrated Decision Analysis System (MIDAS), an interactive decision support tool designed to assist the users and managers of Belize's system of marine management areas (MMAs) in understanding the interactions among various ecological, socioeconomic, and governance conditions in a spatially explicit manner. MIDAS can simulate and visualize the likely effects of alternative management strategies and therefore provides an important tool for evaluating potential scenarios. We developed two MIDAS modules to address specific threats in Belize –spatial risk resulting from mangrove deforestation in coastal areas and the potential effect of an oil spill off the coast of Belize. Workshops conducted in Belize indicate that diverse user groups such as fishers, tourism operators, and public environmental agencies can successfully utilize MIDAS to understand MMA outcomes, and environmental risks.     

Governing Coastal Spaces: The Case of Disappearing Science in Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Scientific knowledge is central to “good” governance of coastal spaces: developing methods through which the complexities of the coastal zone can be understood by stakeholders to improve the sustainable management of coastal systems. Enhancing our knowledge of the range of processes that shape coastal spaces and define the total behavioural environment of the system remains a primary challenge for the coastal research community. However, this article raises the argument that current approaches to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)—the preferred governing framework for the coastal environment, do not give sufficient emphasis to this fundamental need. Improving the basic scientific knowledge that underpins policymaking at the coast is argued to be urgently needed. Issues such as that of developing a communality of the purpose and approach between stakeholders within the coastal zone (through conflict resolution and access to information, for example) seem to claim the rights of the integrated management research agenda. However, the very nature of ICZM as “worthwhile coastal management” requires that integrated management represents more than a governing framework. Successful integration in coastal management must also be underpinned by knowledge of the integrated behavior of the system. Science has an increasingly marginalized position within ICZM and as a result geographers, contributing knowledge of the patterns and processes of the human and environmental landscapes, are also becoming a disappearing breed in integrated coastal management.     

Classification of Beach Erosion Vulnerability on the Yucatan Coast

Beach erosion can have important socioeconomic and environmental consequences, particularly in tropical regions where tourism is a significant source of income. Although caused by natural processes, erosion is often aggravated by disorderly anthropogenic modification of the coast and extreme events. In Yucatan, Mexico, increasing urban development and deficient coastal management strategies as well as hurricanes have affected beach stability. This has highlighted the need for adequate coastal planning and policies that ensure the protection of key coastal ecosystems, such as beaches and sand dunes. To address this, a methodology to classify the coast according to its vulnerability is presented in this work. This methodology assumes that morphological features are indicators of beach evolution and the processes driving it and that these can be associated with different levels of vulnerability. The features considered are beach width, dune vegetation, anthropogenic pressure, and shoreline orientation, which were analyzed through aerial images and a multicriteria evaluation. It was observed that the most vulnerable areas are found near the most developed parts of the coast, where narrow beaches with little dune vegetation dominate. It is expected that this index will be of use to coastal planners and decision makers, particularly in the identification of critical zones.     

Cultural Models of Pfiesteria : Toward Cultivating More Appropriate Risk Perceptions

Based on semistructured interviews (N = 7), informal interviewing (N = 63), and a survey (N = 790), this article describes the cultural models used by mid-Atlantic residents to understand Pfiesteria piscicida. A cultural model is a simplified way of understanding a complex system, shared by members of a culture. Eighty-eight percent of respondents understood Pfiesteria using one of four previously existing cultural models: a disease in fish, a parasite in fish, a water pollutant, and a toxin or poison. These models are not used by marine biologists, who are more likely to refer to Pfiesteria taxonomically or, in its fish killing form, to call it a predator. Our survey shows that the cultural model a respondent holds is correlated significantly with his or her believed pathway of human harm (e.g., eating fish versus swimming) and is correlated significantly but weakly with his or her behavioral responses. We conclude that existing cultural models, as the public has applied them to Pfiesteria, have led people to avoid a range of coastal activities and seafoods, in virtually all cases unnecessarily. Cultural models appear to explain public reaction better than previously hypothesized factors such as inaccurate media coverage. These findings suggest an approach to developing a pedagogical and communications strategy which could provide the public with a cultural model better matched to Pfiesteria.     

The North Norfolk Coastline: A Complex Legacy

The North Norfolk coast is a naturally eroding coastline that has been subject to various management strategies over time, many of which have impeded its natural evolution. The Kelling to Lowestoft-Ness Shoreline Management Plan underpins management of the North Norfolk coast, advocating policies of managed realignment and no active intervention for much of this coastline. Implementation of these policies would give rise to significant loss of housing in North Norfolk during the course of this century. This has caused intense conflict between local communities and coastal planners, with the former feeling abandoned to the vagaries of natural coastal processes. Coastal planners need to work closely with local communities to implement a long-term vision for a sustainable coast. The issues of conflicting land-use planning policies and compensation for affected communities must be addressed. The wider implications of current management strategies are not fully understood and may, in some cases, be unsustainable.     

Natural Coast Protection and Use in China: Implications of Resource Protection “Redline” Policies

A significant proportion of China's coast has been developed for aquaculture, salt industry, ports and harbors, industry, reclamation, and so on. The stated target, of keeping at least 35% mainland coast in natural status until 2020, in the National Marine Functional Zoning Plan (2011–2020) is unlikely to be realized. This article analyzes the current protection and utilization of mainland coast and discusses effects of coastal over-development. The use of the “redline” policy in natural resources protection, including forests, cultivated land, freshwater and marine ecology is reviewed, and the “redline” policy is advised to be adopted in natural coast protection through such measures as total length control, buffer zones, regional control, inter-region engagement, and efficient artificial coastal areas use and restoration.     

Integrating Climate and Ocean Change Vulnerability into Conservation Planning

Tropical coastal and marine ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to ocean warming, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise. Yet these projected climate and ocean change impacts are rarely considered in conservation planning due to the lack of guidance on how existing climate and ocean change models, tools, and data can be applied. Here, we address this gap by describing how conservation planning can use available tools and data for assessing the vulnerability of tropical marine ecosystems to key climate threats. Additionally, we identify limitations of existing tools and provide recommendations for future research to improve integration of climate and ocean change information and conservation planning. Such information is critical for developing a conservation response that adequately protects these ecosystems and dependent coastal communities in the face of climate and ocean change.     

Tributyltin in marine sediments and Philippine green mussels (Perna viridis) in Manila Bay

Tributyltin (TBT) is a pollutant, mainly introduced to the environment as insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, wood preservatives and marine antifouling agent. Concentrations of TBT and its degradation products were isolated from the bivalve Perna viridis and marine sediments collected from selected coastal areas along Manila Bay. In all samples, the extremely toxic TBT compound was detected, calculated as Sn. In sediments, measured concentration ranged from the limit of detection of 0.5 to 9.0 ng Sn g^?1. Highest levels of TBT were observed at the inner and northern part of the bay, adjacent to coastal areas of varying land and water use (i.e., aquaculture, fishpond, mangrove forests, industrial establishments, and ports). However, the levels decrease near the bay entrance. Accumulation in this area can also be deduced from the movement of the prevailing wind and hydrodynamic behavior of the bay during the time of sampling, which transports suspended sediments from the eastern coast of Manila to the northern coast of Bulacan. In green mussels, the levels of TBT ranged from 2.1 to 8.9 ng Sn g^?1. While these values are relatively low, concentrations as low as 0.659 ng Sn g^?1 have been reported to be toxic to molluscs. The environmental levels of organotin species determined in the samples are comparatively low by global standards. Nevertheless, there is a need to estimate the levels of TBT in coastal waters and its associated uses, to evaluate the effectiveness of imposed regulation prohibiting the application of organotin compounds (OTs) as biocides in antifouling agents on ships and aquaculture facilities.     

Cultural Models and Shoreline Social Conflict

Along the coast we witness property conflicts that would seem strange at inland locations. To understand why property conflicts seem particularly common and intense along shorelines, one must appreciate that property is enacted by real people in specific places. The successful enactment of property requires sufficiently shared expectations for behavior. Expectations are formed by consulting cultural models, which are inter-subjectively shared cognitive tools. This article describes seven cultural models of property that can play a role in the enactment of property along the shoreline. These are the sovereignty, community, landscape, ecology, commodity, moral order, and productivity models. A focus on cultural models shows how property conflicts can occur when models are not adequately grounded in real world circumstances, when a cultural model is not shared, or when multiple cultural models conflict. This article argues that all three of these types of failures are more likely to occur along shorelines than with inland property. Finally, even though cultural models of property are not hierarchical, this article argues that too much emphasis is currently being placed on the sovereignty and commodity models, and it suggests ways to reestablish a better balance between all of the cultural models of property.     

Hybridation of generation propagation models and SPH model to study severe sea states in Galician Coast

The Atlantic and Cantabrian coasts of the Iberian Peninsula suffer the periodic passage of storms which give rise to severe sea states. Standard generation- propagation models (WAM, WAVEWATCH, SWAN) are commonly used for operational oceanography purposes with satisfactory results both in the open ocean and in near shore areas but they do not provide information about the possibility of flooding in coastal areas. A 2D HV version of SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) model is considered to propagate the signal provided by generation- propagation models to the coast and to analyze the nature of coastal structures overtopping as a tool to create maps of risk. SPH is shown to provide valuable information about overtopping (maximum water height and water velocity) under the stormy conditions suffered by the Galician coast on February 17, 2006.