Science to Manage Uncertainty
Worldwide coastal environments are subject to a wide range of anthropogenic impacts from urban, industrial and agricultural development. The severity of these impacts varies both in relation to what is happening on land and how we manage stormwater, wastewater and industrial discharges but also in relation to the natural sensitivity of the receiving environment. Enclosed estuaries and coastal seagrasses are particularly vulnerable to degradation but even on ocean coasts we see changes in response to development. Looking to the future it is evident that population growth and climate change will be acutely felt in coastal ecosystems. While management responses to these pressures need to be informed by knowledge one of the major challenges is that, as ecosystems respond to population or climate. The knowledge we currently have becomes less relevant. We need therefore, to continually update our knowledge and refresh our understanding about ecosystems, their condition and how they are changing, if we are to effectively manage and protect the biodiversity and ecological values of coastal environments both now and into the future. Two key tools in our management of coastal ecosystems must be research and monitoring. Taken together they will allow us to expand and refresh our knowledge about the status of systems and to better understand how ecological processes and system conditions are responding to changes in environmental conditions. While some changes are likely to be predictable others are likely be well beyond our prior experience. This presentation will explore the research challenges we have in managing coastal systems over coming decades and outline priority areas that need to be addressed.
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