Coastal zone management

The CORDIO programme, which started in 1999 as a pragmatic response to the impacts of global warming on coral reefs, has over the years improved our knowledge and management of coral reefs. Data collection in the Curieuse Marine Park in the Seychelles was instrumental in guiding government policy over the management of marine protected areas, especially those that have resilient coral ecosystems.

This technical report uses the framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to extend awareness on the value of coastal ecosystems, their products and services for human well-being (i.e. livelihood security and development benefits) and shows how economic valuation of coastal ecosystem services can be a valuable tool for conservation managers and development decision-makers. It presents case studies from Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Seagrass meadows and sand dunes are lesser known coastal ecosystems that are located landward from coral reefs and sometimes seaward from mangroves. (At other times mangroves lie between seagrasses and sand dunes.) These ecosystems are also important for coastal communities because of the services they provide and are critical components of a vital, interdependent and interconnected series of coastal ecosystems.

This paper addresses the need to factor the environment into coastal development planning. It contends that the economic calculations that underpin coastal development decisions remain flawed, and fundamentally incomplete, because they omit an important set of costs and benefits – those associated with ecosystem goods and services.

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and the catastrophic hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 have had tragic and devastating consequences for the global community and have drawn attention to the vulnerability of tropical coastal ecosystems. The lessons learnt from these events are critically relevant to future management of the coast. More than ever it is essential to consider the full value of ‘ecosystem services’ when making decisions about coastal development.

The principles and guidelines developed by IUCN and NOAA are addressed to marine protected areas and coastal managers and are intended to promote better understanding and recognition of the linkages between MPAs and the wider coastal and marine area and of the need to establish effective incentives and institutional arrangements to manage marine protected areas in the broader context of integrated coastal and ocean management frameworks.