Past, present and future interactions, management challenges and research needs in coastal and estuarine environments

There are many user interests on coasts and in estuaries, including economic activities (ports, harbours, navigation, fishing, mineral extraction), recreation (bathing, walking, sailing, fishing, birdwatching), flood defence, water quality, nature conservation, and conservation of the historical and archaeological heritage. Often these interests are conflicting, and managers frequently have to attempt a compromise or make hard decisions based on a prioritized course of action which reflects economic, political and legal constraints (see, for example, Barrett 1992; Kay & Alder 1999; Flemming 2000). Often the decisions are taken on the basis of inadequate background information and a poor understanding of the functioning of the invariably complex coastal system under consideration. In a world of increasingly rapid technological and economic development, sea-level rise, and possible global climate change, central tasks facing the coastal and estuarine manager are to predict and manage change, undertaken against a background of constantly moving goalposts. There is an urgent need for a much better framework of background environmental data and more effective and reliable management tools, founded on sound scientific understanding, which can provide the necessary guidance and basis for policy formulation. Although, these needs have been recognized, and some progress has been made in the past few years, an adequate suite of such tools and frameworks for environmental monitoring are still some way off.