Case Studies - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 371

of Spain. The area is a vital part of the regional development plans to provide high-
quality tourist and recreational services.
The lagoon and surrounding coastal area maintain important fisheries, such as
eel, grey mullet, gill-head bream, sea bass, striped bream, and crustaceans, partic-
ularly shrimp. The lagoon is, however, an object of social concern because of its
rapid rate of development in the last decade and the detrimental impact of this
development on the ecosystem, such as point and nonpoint pollution, shoreline and
habitat destruction that result in degradation of the aquatic environment, and
decreased fishery production. Some of these changes result from coastal work on
tourism facilities, such as land reclamation; the opening, deepening, and extending
of channels; urban development and associated waste; construction of harbors for
sport; and creation of artificial beaches. Other factors include changes in agricultural
practices in the watershed, such as the change from extensive dry crop farming to
intensively irrigated crop farming and the increase in agricultural waste and nutrient
input into the lagoon and coastal aquatic environment. These circumstances make
the Mar Menor a useful example for analyzing the biological patterns and processes
affected by changes in hydrogeographic conditions, nutrient inputs, and lagoon
characteristics ( see Chapter 5).

9.1.3 T HE B ALTIC S EA L AGOONS

The third case study area is the Baltic Sea lagoons. The Curonian, Odra, and
Vistula lagoons are of great importance for the quality of coastal waters and open
sea areas. These lagoons are natural filters for agricultural, industrial, and munic-
ipal waste loads. These anthropogenic pressures are particularly intense in the
southern and southeastern parts of the Baltic catchment area. This region is densely
populated. Industrial activity is intense, and a large proportion of land is used for
agriculture.
The Vistula Lagoon experiences higher anthropogenic loading than the Odra or
Curonian lagoons because of its relatively small water volume and very poor treat-
ment facilities in its catchment area. The Vistula Lagoon was one of the first areas
in the Baltic region where genuine strides in transboundary management have been
attempted, including the implementation of modeling as a decision-making tool by
both scientific institutions and national environmental authorities.

9.1.4 K OYCEGIZ -D ALYAN L AGOON

The fourth case study area is Koycegiz-Dalyan Lagoon in the Mediterranean Sea
in Turkey. This lagoon is widely regarded as a stellar example of ecosystem modeling
for sustainable management in the context of the NATO-CCMS pilot study. A
decision support system has been established, and monitoring and modeling are used
to support decision making in the lagoon and watershed.
These four case studies are models that offer valuable insight into the decision-
making process for ensuring thoughtful sustainable management of lagoons world-
wide.