Decision Making for Sustainable Use and Development - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 328

8.7 Linking Infrastructure and Function
8.8 The Importance of Evaluation in the Decision-Making Process
8.9 Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References

8.1 INTRODUCTION

8.1.1 P S

URPOSE AND COPE

The purpose of this chapter is to suggest a basic framework for making informed
decisions and taking positive actions regarding the sustainable management of
lagoon systems utilizing the information and tools described in this topic. Previous
chapters have presented the current status of available information on lagoon
systems and models to describe the processes and mechanisms of the interrela-
tionships and energy flow within a lagoon system. These data and models are useful
for demonstrating the cause and effect relationship of changing input variables
to predict the alternative future outputs for a lagoon ecosystem. They form the
basis of a decision support system (DSS) that should be customized and enhanced
on a continuing basis in order for sustainable management decisions to be effec-
tively integrated into the socio-economic system (SES) influencing the natural
lagoon system.
It must be recognized that many decisions that affect each lagoon will be made
temporally (over a time scale) and spatially (across a wide geographic area and
diverse societal infrastructure units and levels). It is critically important to provide
the best available knowledge and information in a coordinated way. This will result
in decisions that foster the sustainable management of these threatened coastal
systems. It is the task of the decision maker to make choices that affect the lagoon
system using the best available information and tools. These decisions inevitably
center around finding the balance between the finite capacity of the lagoon system
and the many demands placed upon it by the socio-economic system that depends
upon it. It is a further task to establish a process or plan according to which informed
decisions can be made over time about the future of the lagoon, with consistency
and coordination by the multitude of “users” of the lagoon system.
In this chapter we suggest that a framework be established and used to guide
the multidisciplinary decisions of the SES and diverse human communities of the
lagoon watershed—an integrated lagoon sustainable management plan (ILSMP).
The many sectors/disciplines/community functions and structures that make deci-
sions that impact the lagoon should then incorporate the goals and principles of the
overall lagoon plan into their respective arenas. Continued integration of this plan-
ning process with the best available knowledge and information into the many sectors
of the socio-economic infrastructure of the lagoon area will promote informed
decision making for sustainable management of the lagoon.
This chapter presents a stepwise process as a guide for decision making with
the goal of sustainable management of a lagoon ( Figure 8.1) . It emphasizes the
importance of developing and employing a good decision support system (DSS).