Protect and Enhance the Nations Natural Resource Base and Environment - Environmental Cooperative Science Center.
Abstract
Historically, small coastal communities have relied upon local fishery resources (including shellfish and other harvestable goods) as their economic base. The small populations of these communities generally did not have a substantial impact on the fishery, either from fishing pressure, development of wetlands, pollution from sources such as domestic waste, or even agriculture. In the mid to latter 20th century, there was a substantial increase in development along coasts, resulting in a greatly increased coastal population in and near these once-small communities. The economic base began shifting to a more tourist-oriented, recreational focus, with greater intensities of upland and coastal resource use along with urban development. Substantial adverse environmental impacts from this development have been documented over the years, including a decline in commercial fishing resources, wetland area, coastal water quality and ecology, and similar environmental parameters affecting coastal watersheds and the quality of life in coastal communities. The ultimate goals of coastal management must be to ensure the sustainability and health of the coastal ecosystem and to ensure a positive quality of life for coastal communities. These goals have often been seen as contradictory and thus incompatible.
