Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
In. summary,. sandy-beach. ecosystems. are. particularly. vulnerable. to. climate.
change,.which.is.already.changing.their.physicochemical.and.biological.components.
in. complex. ways. across. various. scales. in. space. and. time.. Of. the. several. climate.
factors.involved,.those.that.promote.sea-level.rise.and.erosion.seem.to.be.the.most.
important.because.they.threaten.the.very.existence.of.the.intertidal.beach.habitat,.
especially. in. urban. areas. where. societal. assets. are. protected. by. hard. engineering..
Elsewhere,. this. threat. may. be. minimal. if. setbacks. are. available. and. beaches. are.
able.to.retreat.slowly..Another.factor.of.great.potential.importance.is.acidiication.
because.many.beach.species.have.calcium-based.shells..Given.the.vulnerability.of.
beaches.to.a.range.of.climate.pressures.and.the.limited.ecological.knowledge.avail-
able,. the. advent. of. climate. change. will. intensify. the. challenges. already. faced. by.
coastal.scientists,.policy.makers,.and.especially.managers.
MANAGEMENT
The.challenge.for.the.21st.century,.then,.is.to.understand.the.vulnerabilities.and.resil-
ience.of.ecosystems.so.that.we.can.ind.ways.to.reconcile.the.demands.of.human.devel-
opment.with.the.tolerances.of.nature..(World.Resources.Institute.2000)
g
eneral
C
onsideraTions
Because.environmental.management.is.meaningless.in.the.absence.of.clear.goals,.it.
is.now.common.practice.to.develop.a.vision.statement,.objectives.consistent.with.the.
vision,.strategies.for.reaching.the.objectives,.and.monitoring.performance.indicators.
to.measure.success..A.suggested.vision.statement.for.beaches.is
Beaches.maintained.in.a.near-pristine.state.supporting.fully.diverse,.function-
ing.ecosystems.and.sustainable.low-impact.human.uses.
This. vision. is. not. only. consistent. with. the. principles. of. ecologically. sustainable.
development. (ESD),. but. also. with. both. ecocentric. and. anthropocentric. ethics.. It.
amounts.to.a.win-win.solution.because.the.value.of.most.beaches.to.humans.derives.
from.their.natural.state..The.ESD.objectives.for.ecosystems.include.the.protection.
of. biodiversity. and. ecological. processes.. More. speciic. objectives. should. apply. to.
particular. beaches. or. regions,. but. such. clarity. is. rarely. present. for. sandy. beaches.
(James.2000b)..Of.course,.the.emphasis.will.vary.depending.on.the.context..In.pris-
tine.areas,.primary.objectives.may.involve.the.maintenance.of.the.habitat.for.recre-
ational.and.conservation.purposes..In.urban.areas,.the.protection.of.societal.assets.is.
becoming.increasingly.important.with.the.rise.of.sea.levels.
In. attempting. to. achieve. desired. visions. and. objectives,. two. broad. management.
strategies. concerning. climate. change. exist:. mitigation. and. adaptation.. Mitigation.
slows.or.even.reverses.climate.change.by.reducing.emissions;.adaptation.accepts.the.
reality.of.climate.change.and.copes.with.unavoidable.impacts.with.various.technolog-
ical.options.available.for.the.coastal.zone.(Klein.et.al..2001)..Major.investment.in.both.
kinds.of.strategy.is.needed.now.(International.Scientiic.Steering.Committee.2005).
