Coastal Resource Management

Coastal resource management (CRM) is first and foremost about addressing varied, wide-ranging and often interconnected issues that directly or indirectly impact coastal areas. The coastal zone may be defined “ecologically” as the land area influenced by the sea; politically by some arbitrary distance inland from high tide level; or socially as the area occupied by people dependent on the sea for livelihood. For any means except setting an arbitrary distance, the exact extent of the coastal zone defies rigorous definition due to the interconnectedness of ecosystems and human activities in this productive strip between land and sea. Coastal resource management is best accomplished by a participatory process of planning, implementing and monitoring sustainable uses of coastal resources through collective action and sound decision-making. Coastal resource management is also referred to as ‘coastal management’, ‘coastal zone management’, ‘coastal area management’, and ‘integrated coastal management.’ In more specific terms, it means planning, implementing and monitoring the sustainable use of coastal resources. Accepted wisdom says the process must be participatory, that is, it must be consultative, multisectoral and interdisciplinary. It must consider the interconnectedness of the various ecosystems. It must encourage cooperation among individuals, among communities, among countries. It must, in other words, be rooted in the truth that we all share but one ocean. In this new and highly original textbook for a range of interdisciplinary courses and degree programmes focusing on marine and coastal resource management, readers are offered an introduction to the subject matter, a broad perspective and understanding, case study applications, and a reference source.