Decision Making for Sustainable Use and Development - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 334

on Sustainable Development in 1992 facilitated the implementation of Rio agree-
ments; however, the Rio + 5 report concluded that progress had been inadequate
and too slow. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
created in 1995 and the International Organization of Standardization 14000 mir-
rored sustainable development efforts in the private sector. Since the turn of the
century, attempts to implement sustainable development have continued around the
world, as more specific challenges and questions emerge with the additional inte-
gration into traditional approaches to development and planning.

10

Below is a list of common problems and conditions associated with degradation
of lagoons. The decision-making process must identify these conditions, prioritize
these problems, and address them in an integrated, long-term plan in order to
sustainably manage the lagoon.
Conditions that indicate a need for sustainable management of a lagoon are

• Eutrophication
• Contamination (by persistent and toxic substances)
• Oil pollution
• Presence of artificial radionucleides
• Exploitation of living (reduced shell and fin fisheries) and mineral resources
• Lack of sanitation of bathing waters
• Coastal degradation
• Threat to marine biodiversity

As described in Chapters 4 and 5, nutrient loading is a common problem
throughout the coastal zone environment. Inadequate urban and industrial drainage
and wastewater treatment facilities and run-off of nutrient-laden water (nitrogen,
phosphorus) from agricultural areas in the catchment area are often responsible for
nutrient loading in coastal zones. In addition, atmospheric deposition of nitrogen
and other chemical constituents is significant in a broad geographic area and con-
tributes to concentration of pollutants in coastal zones. Many other specific problems
exist locally, including dumping of chemical wastes, weapons, industrial wastes,
alien invasive species, and large-scale construction. These conditions are often the
result of lack of land use planning and signal the need for sustainable management.
It is important to note that it is usually less costly and more efficient to detect
and treat these conditions early in their development. These are some of the more
visible reasons to sustainably manage a lagoon. They indicate that the health of
the lagoon system is threatened and that the lagoon will not be able to continue
to provide the life support systems for quality of life for all living plants and
animals (including humans) in the lagoon watershed. This results in a compromised
ecology and economy of the area.
Because coastal lagoon areas are highly sensitive and subject to overutilization
and degradation, it is no surprise that more than 30% of the special protection areas
designated under European Union directives for conservation are coastal, and that
many NATO and partner countries have developed a considerable body of protective
legislation in recognition of their value.