A coastal management program for channels located in backbarrier systems

Management of the interactions between social/economic interests and the coastal environment requires practical, interdisciplinary assessment techniques. Backbarrier systems are critical natural resources that provide both economic and social benefits. Activities such as aquaculture, fishing, shipping and port activities, sediment mining, salt extraction, and tourism all take place in these ecosystems but are often not compatible with each other. Therefore, a program to manage such a system must congregate many different types of activities and stakeholders with potentially conflicting interests. In this paper, we develop a proposed coastal management program (CMP), based on the driving-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework and the integrated coastal management (ICM) cycle, for the management of channels located in backbarrier systems subject to dredging operations. The conceptual model involves the application of regional sediment management (RSM) actions and is applied to a case study, Faro Channel, located in the Ria Formosa backbarrier system in Algarve, Portugal. The CMP provides results on the interactivity between scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers, by defining and clarifying the economic and environmental aspects of decision-making processes through the utilisation and measurement of local coastal indicators. The proposed CMP proved to be a useful tool in the definition of coastal management initiatives for channels inside backbarrier systems, since it identified management problems and allowed management solutions to be formulated. The CMP could be used within a broader ICM program but would also be effective when used on its own.     

Implementation barriers to establishing a sustainable coastal aquaculture sector

For much of the last century, the prerequisites for establishing a new primary industry were property rights to secure access to the required natural resources, the appropriate technology, brood stock and labour, and a willing investor. In contrast, in many western nations although all these prerequisites have been in place for the establishment of new coastal marine farming sectors, fledgling aquaculture operations have failed to establish. A prime reason for this is that under increasingly consultative integrated coastal zone management regimes, local stakeholders are expressing a desire for prospective aquaculture operations to demonstrate that they will be sustainable. Many potential marine farmers and regulatory authorities have stumbled on this demand and the work presented here aims to elucidate the nature of sustainability in a coastal aquaculture context and provide a framework for investigating these critical ‘non-traditional’ factors limiting the establishment and development of coastal aquaculture activities.     

Ecosystem-based management institutional design: Balance between federal,state, and local governments within the Gulf of Mexico Alliance

We present a case study of the organizational framework of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA), which was implemented to promote the use of ecosystem-based management (EBM) at a regional level. GOMA is a state-led initiative formed to protect and restore coastal and marine resources of the Gulf of Mexico. Representatives of the US Gulf States, together with their federal partners, clearly defined ecological, social, and economic short- and long-term objectives to be reached through regional collaborations. The aim of this paper is to show how GOMA, and particularly the Ecosystem Integration and Assessment Priority Issue Team, in its attempt to apply ecosystem approaches to manage marine resources, modified the common organizational scheme by implementing partnerships at various governmental (federal, state, local) and nongovernmental levels. We address the following major points considered to be of importance for EBM implementation: (1) multilevel cooperation, (2) stakeholders’ involvement, (3) sharing of information, (4) bridging science and policy, and (5) consensus-based decision making.     

基于管治理念的区域海岸带综合管理模式探究

海岸带综合管理(Integrated Coastal Zone Management,即ICZM)是一种能够协调多方利益冲突,并以实现海岸带资源配置最优化和公共利益最大化为目标的管理方法。以区域海岸带综合管理模式为研究对象,在分析地方海岸带综合管理存在问题的基础上,通过对西方管治理念的引介,构建了一个强调协调和融合的区域海岸带综合管理新模式,并对该模式的组织构成、管理计划的制定、冲突的解决、计划的实施和反馈以及管理模式有效运作的保障机制作了系统的阐述,以期推动海岸带地区的可持续发展。     

基于生态通道模型的我国渔业资源生态容量研究进展

随着人类活动对于海洋资源的过度开发,渔业资源的衰退趋势愈发显著。因此,渔业资源亟待科学合理的理论指导来保护和利用有限的渔业资源。Ecopath生态通道模型是一种研究生态系统特征与变化的经典模型,除了可用于分析生态系统结构与功能以及评估生态系统的成熟稳定程度外,该模型还可以评估物种的生态容量,为增殖放流活动等渔业资源提供保护措施,因此被广泛应用于渔业资源生态容量研究。本文综述了生态容量的概念以及目前国内研究生态容量的常见方法,对Ecopath模型的发展历史做了简要概述,介绍了模型的原理、建立、调试方法以及使用Ecopath模型评估物种生态容量的操作方法,随后对模型中的各项参数指标做了详细的介绍。本文根据Ecopath模型在我国渔业资源研究中的应用方向进行了分类讨论,并对我国当前基于Ecopath的水域生态容量研究进展进行了汇总,对比了不同类型生态系统之间生态特征参数的异同,重点归纳了不同水域生态系统下的物种生态容量评估研究,最后提出了模型的限制性以及发展前景。     

The interaction triangle as a tool for understanding stakeholder interactions in marine ecosystem based management

Expectations about ecosystem based management (EBM) differ due to diverging perspectives about what EBM should be and how it should work. While EBM by its nature requires trade-offs to be made between ecological, economic and social sustainability criteria, the diversity of cross-sectoral perspectives, values, stakes, and the specificity of each individual situation determine the outcome of these trade-offs. The authors strive to raise awareness of the importance of interaction between three stakeholder groups (decision makers, scientists, and other actors) and argue that choosing appropriate degrees of interaction between them in a transparent way can make EBM more effective in terms of the three effectiveness criteria salience, legitimacy, and credibility. This article therefore presents an interaction triangle in which three crucial dimensions of stakeholder interactions are discussed: (A) between decision makers and scientists, who engage in framing to foster salience of scientific input to decision making, (B) between decision makers and other actors, to shape participation processes to foster legitimacy of EBM processes, and (C) between scientists and other actors, who collaborate to foster credibility of knowledge production. Due to the complexity of EBM, there is not one optimal interaction approach; rather, finding the optimal degrees of interaction for each dimension depends on the context in which EBM is implemented, i.e. the EBM objectives, the EBM initiator’s willingness for transparency and interaction, and other context-specific factors, such as resources, trust, and state of knowledge.     

The convergence of Integrated Coastal Zone Management and the ecosystems approach

The primary role of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management model was to arbitrate conflicts between stakeholders in a living and natural resource environment characterized by a common property and open access doctrine. A chronology of events describes how the development and acceptance of an ecosystems approach policy began to converge and coincide with the spread and development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Those organizations that gave representation to the conservation ethic became internationally recognized as surrogate natural resource ‘users’, the interests of which possessed commonality with all stakeholder interests in general. The tenants of conservation policy were therefore largely employed to decide the merits of disputes over ocean and coastal resources.In the 1990s, scientists created a forum to debate, better define, and institutionalize a sound basis for ecosystem management theory and practice. Protocols were developed that embedded science in living and natural resources planning and management. These protocols were shaped and adopted to serve an evermore contemporary Integrated Coastal Zone Management model. Improvements in methodology include the use of adaptive management, ecological modeling and monitoring, appropriate temporal and spatial scales, salient indicators, and stakeholder participation. This contemporary approach is dependent upon recognizing the benefits inherent in utilizing instruments capable of managing resources on a holistic level.Bioregional planning and zoning accommodate the successful management of resources on this level. It is a direct outcome of the convergence of Integrated Coastal Zone Management and the ecosystems approach. Bioregional zoning schemes are capable of traversing the private property and common property doctrines that define the respective terrestrial and aquatic environments of the coastal zone.A comparative case study of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Belize Marine Protected Area Program is included as an annex, the analysis of which is predicated upon the principles espoused in the literature.     

Using normative evaluations to plan for and manage shellfish aquaculture development in Rhode Island coastal waters

As shellfish aquaculture activities grow in the US, researchers, practitioners, resource users, and others have questioned how much development can be accommodated by natural and social systems. In a unique application of the normative evaluation approach to shellfish aquaculture development, this study uses data from a mail survey to (1) examine Rhode Islanders’ support for aquaculture in general and in RI waters; (2) investigate how different features of an aquaculture farm influence normative evaluations; and (3) explore areas of agreement and disagreement among stakeholder groups for social carrying capacities associated with aquaculture in RI coastal waters. Findings demonstrate that respondents do not strictly support or oppose aquaculture development; instead support depends on the waterbody where the aquaculture is occurring, the amount of area used for aquaculture, and ways in which aquaculture is conducted. Social norm curves show that levels of acceptabilities for shellfish aquaculture development in two RI waterbodies decline with increasing levels of aquaculture activities. Comparisons among sub-sets of respondents highlight disagreement among groups on the level beyond which shellfish aquaculture development is no longer acceptable (social carrying capacity). Results from normative evaluation studies can be used in combination with physical, ecological, and biological carrying capacities; management goals and objectives; other resource uses and values; and desired social and ecological conditions to inform policy discussions about shellfish aquaculture development in coastal waters.     

Integrating science and management on coastal marine protected areas in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

The coastal zone of the State of Campeche have some of the Gulf of Mexico’s richest ecosystems characterized by extensive seagrasses, mangrove forests, low-land tidal wetlands, a broad deltaic environment, including the Usumacinta/Laguna de Terminos estuarine ecosystem, and extensive low salinities and brackish wetlands in the Petenes region. Commercial and artisanal fishing, maritime transport, agriculture and cattle grazing in low-land areas, urban expansion, building of highways, and tourism, are important economics activities that are increasing in the State of Campeche. However, the growth needs to occur in a sustainable manner with adequate protection of the coastal ecosystems. The theoretical approach and conceptual basis of the integrated coastal management plan are based on 20 years of scientific research in the region; and from 1990 to the present, a number of projects have been completed which serve as case studies of coastal management coupling science, technology, public participation, and policymaking in the southern Gulf of Mexico. After developing seven “study case” integrating science into policymaking, a management approach was developed considering four main actions: promotion of institutional arrangements, so that the multi-sectorial planning approach be considered in coastal resources development; strengthening of public awareness related to coastal resources management policies and capabilities; gathering, analysis and dissemination of information related to coastal resources development; and provision of technical solutions to coastal resources uses in conflict. Finally this is a case study where science played a significant role in the politics of the policy process, both in protecting key estuarine ecosystem and the planning process defining the ICZM plans.     

Overcoming the impacts of aquaculture on the coastal zone

The wide variety of goods and services provided by the coastal zone (food, medicines, nutrient recycling, control of flooding, typhoon protection) account for its many uses (fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, human settlements, harbors, ports, tourism, industries). Aquaculture now provides a third of total fisheries production. Half of the total aquaculture yield comes from land-based ponds and water-based pens, cages, longlines and stakes in brackish water and marine habitats. But the opportunities for employment, income and foreign exchange from coastal aquaculture have been overshadowed by negative environmental and social effects. The environmental impacts include: mangrove loss, bycatch during collection of wild seed and broodstock, introductions and transfers of species, spread of parasites and diseases, misuse of chemicals, and release of wastes. The socioeconomic impacts include: privatization of public lands and waterways, loss of fisheries livelihoods, food insecurity, and urban migration. The paper gives recommendations on the attainment of responsible and sustainable aquaculture with emphasis on herbivorous and omnivorous species, polyculture, integration with agriculture and mangroves, and self-regulation in the form of codes of conduct and best management practices. Recommended approaches include holistic Integrated Coastal Zone Management based on stakeholder needs, mechanisms for conflict resolution, assimilative capacity of the environment, protection of community resources, and rehabilitation of degraded habitats, to improvements in the aquaculture sector pertaining to management of feed, water, and effluents.     

Scientists’ prioritization of global coastal research questions

Complex coastal management challenges often span ecological and political boundaries, and involve competing demands from groups advocating alternative coastal management strategies. As a consequence, policy-makers require scientific evidence from across a range of disciplines. Implementing cross-disciplinary research and facilitating science-policy engagement are, however, a significant challenge in its own right. Seven recent ecologically oriented ‘big question’ exercises identified a variety of research questions potentially important for coastal and marine management. In this research, 592 coastal scientists from 91 different countries completed a survey that ranked those 20 coastally oriented research questions. There was a clear overall ordering of aggregated coastal research priorities but scientists did exhibit heterogeneity regarding priorities. Some prioritized ecological issues while others focused more on issues such as coastal resource use or global environmental change. The differences in opinion were largely disciplinary-based, highlighting the importance of, and challenges in, encouraging scientific collaboration across disciplines to support effective coastal zone management. In addition to the ranking of existing questions, scientists submitted an additional 340 potential priority research questions, thus broadening the participatory nature of the original exercises. New questions regarding coastal processes, contaminants and pollution, and monitoring were prominent. This first synthesis across ‘big question’ exercises should provide valuable insights into the diversity of scientists’ opinions and help policy makers understand potentially conflicting science advice.     

东亚海区的海岸带综合管理经验:从地方性示范到区域性合作

本文阐述了东亚海区海岸带综合管理实践如何从地方性的示范发展到区域性的合作管理框架，如何实现海洋和海岸带资源的可持续利用．文中着重突出了厦门市政府在维持环境保护和经济发展的平衡，启动和实施海岸带综合管理，以及与沿海国在国际合作方面的经验，总结了厦门实施海岸带综合管理的主要经验，包括多部门间综合协调机制、海岸带综合管理法律框架、科技支撑体系的建立，海洋功能区划、环境剖面和战略环境管理计划的制定，以及实现海上联合执法等等．同时阐述了东亚海域环境管理区域合作计划（PEMSEA）与澳大利亚合作伙伴之间的关系在推动沿海城市的国际合作中将起到的作用．     

海水养殖环境容量研究进展

对养殖环境容量概念的发展进行了诠释,对国内外养殖环境容量的研究方法以及数值模型在水产养殖环境预测及管理中的应用进行了较为系统的归纳和评述,并对当前养殖环境容量研究中存在的问题及发展趋势进行了分析,以期为中国海水养殖环境管理及进一步开展相关研究提供参考依据.     

Fishermen perception on resources management and aquaculture development in the Mecoacan estuary,Tabasco, Mexico

The southern Mexican states on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico produce approximately 85% of the total national oil production. The region has also attracted attention due its important economic influence in terms of fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture, and for its ecosystem diversity. The justification for more integrated approaches to aquaculture development is significant, as coastal aquaculture has brought economic and employment benefits to both national economies and coastal people. The aim of this study is the analysis of Mecoacan fishing communities’ perception on coastal resources management and to assess group awareness of the potential benefits and impacts of coastal aquaculture. Although aquaculture practices have been implemented as an alternative to fishing and to improve current levels of fisheries production, the results showed that conditions within Mecoacan fisheries have deteriorated significantly, as collective aggregation is not producing a positive outcome for the local communities. However, fishermen regarded the restructuring of fishing organisations as a means of integrating employment and income generation alternatives such as aquaculture practices. Therefore, a key to success will be to demonstrate the ability of good coastal management to promote capacity building within coastal communities in the context of a participatory intervention strategy through formal and informal organisations.     

天津海岸基本功能划分初探

随着我国外向型经济战略深入实施,海洋资源及其区位优势成为了决定工业化进程的重要因素.重化工布局和人口进一步向沿海地区聚集成为经济发展必然趋势,而海岸地区是生态环境的脆弱区域,因此,必须通过确定海岸区域的基本功能,来引导海岸区域保护与开发活动,以实现经济、社会和生态效益最大化.以天津市为例,分析了海岸开发利用存在问题.在...     

Zoning strategies for marine protected areas in Taiwan: Case study of Gueishan Island in Yilan County,Taiwan

According to the United Nations (UN) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, there has been a dramatic decline in global biodiversity. The UN has made a global appeal for all countries to mitigate their impact on the environment. Marine environmental protection is one of the most critical and urgent issues in the world and many countries have commenced establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) by implementing ecosystem-based management (EBM) concepts. MPA planning has been considered one of the simplest and most effective methods to protect marine environments. Taiwan has recently developed policies that have focused on its marine environment, and there are plans to increase the size of Taiwan׳s MPAs to 20% of its total ocean territory by 2020, thereby achieving a sustainable ocean. To achieve this goal, the government must address specific difficulties associated with the location of MPAs and relevant zoning strategies. This study establishes MPA protection principles and a zoning framework for MPAs in Taiwan by using Gueishan Island in Yilan County as a case study site to examine specific zoning strategies. The protection of 3 objectives (hydrothermal vents, cetacean, and fisheries resources) is discussed in this paper. Multi-criteria spatial analysis and a geographic information system are applied to identify the most crucial area to protect. To understand the stakeholders׳ opinions and concerns regarding the proposed zoning framework, this research conducted in-depth interviews with experts and stakeholders. MPAs zoning strategies are formulated at the conclusion of this study that could assist in protecting critical marine resources and avoiding conflicts among various usages of the marine area.     

以生态产业化模式实现海洋生态产品价值的探索与研究

为探索海洋领域生态产品价值实现机制,实现海洋生态资源集约节约与可持续利用,文章在梳理国内现有的海洋生态产品价值实现发展模式、剖析存在问题的基础上,借鉴国内外案例成功经验,提出了基于生态产业化模式的海洋生态产品价值实现机制。研究认为,海洋生态产业化需具备3个必备条件：①实施区域必须具有独特的可供开发的海洋自然生态资源优势;②产业化过程必须控制在海洋生态系统承载力限度内;③要符合海洋产业发展规律。基于生态产业化模式的海洋生态产品价值实现机制需做好5个方面的工作。①明确1个发展目标：实现海洋生态资源的保值增值;②奠定好2项工作基础：做好资源调查评价和生态承载力评估;③建立3个支撑保障：顶层规划、监管机制和引导机制;④创造4项推动力：通过政策、科技、人才和资本市场产生创新发展的动能;⑤建立5步实现路径：逐步实现新技术、新产品、新企业、新模式,最终形成新业态。在推动海洋生态产业化的进程中,建议将海洋资源保护利用的监管工作贯穿于生态产业化的全过程,严格禁止超出生态承载能力的产业化过程。     

Testing the application of the Systems Approach Framework (SAF) for the management of eutrophication in the Ria Formosa

The SAF (Systems Approach Framework) encompasses the ecological, social and economic components of coastal zones and aims to establish a permanent dialogue between scientists, stakeholders and policy makers working within European coastal zones for developing effective ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management). The objective of the present study is to test the application of the SAF for defining eutrophication management options in the Ria Formosa, Portugal. Stakeholders were identified and the issue of eutrophication was agreed upon. Having defined the virtual system, the conceptual model of the Ria Formosa was developed. The formulation of the conceptual model into a mathematical model representing the ecological, social and economic components of the system is then discussed. The linking variable of the three components within the simulation model, as well as the scenarios to be run are then explored. The role of scientists as facilitators within the deliberation process is discussed, and a format by which the final output package could be disseminated is suggested. This case study demonstrates how the SAF could successfully be applied to the management of eutrophication in the Ria Formosa. It also suggests ways in which this approach may be adapted to address unique coastal systems with specific system characteristics.     

基于自然资源统一管理的广东省海岸带生态修复

为促进广东省生态文明建设和经济可持续发展,文章以自然资源统一管理为视角,遵循陆海统筹的理念,分析广东省海岸带生态修复的现状、挑战、重点关注的关系以及发展路径。研究结果表明:广东省加大对海岸带生态修复的投入,开展海岸整治修复等一系列生态修复项目,在海水质量、管理机制和人居环境等方面取得初步成效,但仍在统筹规划、管理衔接、技术研究和投入保障等方面存在不足;海岸带生态修复应重点关注并处理好4个关系,即陆地和海洋、修复和保护、修复和发展以及属地和联动的关系;在此基础上,应通过统一规划、机制保障和共同参与,进一步优化海岸带生态修复效果。     

岛群海域重要生物资源及环境智能监测系统框架研究

近年来,海洋生物的多样性正受到严重威胁,主要是海洋及海岸带生态环境受到破坏、过度开发、污染和不适当的沿岸水产养殖等原因造成的。随着海洋经济重要性越来越突出,通过岛群海域重要生物资源及环境的智能监测保护非常必要。文章针对岛群海域独特的生态功能及环境,以重要生物资源及环境监测为目标,从岛群海域重要生物资源及环境智能监测系统构建入手,对系统框架、该框架下关键技术以及系统实现方法进行了研究。该研究适合岛群海域特殊的地理环境,对监测目标具有重要的适应性,对系统进一步开发及完善具有重要的指导意义。