Transforming management of tropical coastal seas to cope with challenges of the 21st century

Peter F Sale; Tundi Agardy; Cameron H Ainsworth; Blake E Feist; Johann D Bell; Patrick Christie; Ove Hoegh-Guldberg; Peter J Mumby; David A Feary; Megan I Saunders; Tim M Daw; Simon J Foale; Phillip S Levin; Kenyon C Lindeman; Kai Lorenzen; Robert S Pomeroy; Edward H Allison; R H Bradbury; Jennifer Corrin; Alasdair J Edwards; David O Obura; Yvonne J Sadovy de Mitcheson; Melita A Samoilys; Charles R C Sheppard

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.005

Transforming management of tropical coastal seas to cope with challenges of the 21st century

Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Aug 15;85(1):8-23. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.005. Epub 2014 Jul 2.

Authors

Peter F Sale¹, Tundi Agardy², Cameron H Ainsworth³, Blake E Feist⁴, Johann D Bell⁵, Patrick Christie⁶, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg⁷, Peter J Mumby⁸, David A Feary⁹, Megan I Saunders⁷, Tim M Daw¹⁰, Simon J Foale¹¹, Phillip S Levin⁴, Kenyon C Lindeman¹², Kai Lorenzen¹³, Robert S Pomeroy¹⁴, Edward H Allison¹⁵, R H Bradbury¹⁶, Jennifer Corrin¹⁷, Alasdair J Edwards¹⁸, David O Obura¹⁹, Yvonne J Sadovy de Mitcheson²⁰, Melita A Samoilys¹⁹, Charles R C Sheppard²¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Water, Environment and Health, United Nations University, 175 Longwood Rd, Hamilton, ON L8P0A1, Canada. Electronic address: sale@uwindsor.ca.
² Sound Seas, Bethesda, MD 20816, USA.
³ College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
⁴ Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.
⁵ Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, B.P. D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.
⁶ School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105-6715, USA.
⁷ Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
⁸ School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
⁹ School of the Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
¹⁰ Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7HU, UK.
¹¹ School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
¹² Dept. of Education & Interdisciplinary Studies, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA.
¹³ School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA.
¹⁴ Agricultural and Resource Economics/CT Sea Grant, University of Connecticut-Avery Point, Groton, CT 06340, USA.
¹⁵ School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7HU, UK.
¹⁶ Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
¹⁷ Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, and TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
¹⁸ School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
¹⁹ CORDIO East Africa, BOX 10135, Mombasa 80101, Kenya.
²⁰ Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar Road, Shek O, Hong Kong, China.
²¹ School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.

PMID: 24997002
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.005

Abstract

Over 1.3 billion people live on tropical coasts, primarily in developing countries. Many depend on adjacent coastal seas for food, and livelihoods. We show how trends in demography and in several local and global anthropogenic stressors are progressively degrading capacity of coastal waters to sustain these people. Far more effective approaches to environmental management are needed if the loss in provision of ecosystem goods and services is to be stemmed. We propose expanded use of marine spatial planning as a framework for more effective, pragmatic management based on ocean zones to accommodate conflicting uses. This would force the holistic, regional-scale reconciliation of food security, livelihoods, and conservation that is needed. Transforming how countries manage coastal resources will require major change in policy and politics, implemented with sufficient flexibility to accommodate societal variations. Achieving this change is a major challenge - one that affects the lives of one fifth of humanity.

Keywords: Coastal resource management; Coral reef; Global change; Marine spatial planning; Socio-ecological management; Tropical coastal fishery.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Anthozoa
Climate Change*
Computer Simulation
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Demography
Ecology
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Fisheries
Geography
Humans
Oceans and Seas