Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Jul 1. pii: S0025-326X(14)00366-X. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.005. [Epub ahead of print]

Transforming management of tropical coastal seas to cope with challenges of the 21st century.

Sale PF1, Agardy T2, Ainsworth CH3, Feist BE4, Bell JD5, Christie P6, Hoegh-Guldberg O7, Mumby PJ8, Feary DA9, Saunders MI7, Daw TM10, Foale SJ11, Levin PS4, Lindeman KC12, Lorenzen K13, Pomeroy RS14, Allison EH15, Bradbury RH16, Corrin J17, Edwards AJ18, Obura DO19, Sadovy de Mitcheson YJ20,Samoilys MA19, Sheppard CR21.

Author information

• 1Institute for Water, Environment and Health, United Nations University, 175 Longwood Rd, Hamilton, ON L8P0A1, Canada. Electronic address: sale@uwindsor.ca.
• 2Sound Seas, Bethesda, MD 20816, USA.
• 3College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
• 4Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.
• 5Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, B.P. D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.
• 6School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105-6715, USA.
• 7Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
• 8School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
• 9School of the Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
• 10Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7HU, UK.
• 11School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
• 12Dept. of Education & Interdisciplinary Studies, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA.
• 13School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA.
• 14Agricultural and Resource Economics/CT Sea Grant, University of Connecticut-Avery Point, Groton, CT 06340, USA.
• 15School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7HU, UK.
• 16Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
• 17Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, and TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
• 18School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
• 19CORDIO East Africa, BOX 10135, Mombasa 80101, Kenya.
• 20Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar Road, Shek O, Hong Kong, China.
• 21School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.

Abstract

Over 1.3 billion people live on tropical coasts, primarily in developing countries. Many depend on adjacent coastal seas for food, and livelihoods. We show how trends in demography and in several local and global anthropogenic stressors are progressively degrading capacity of coastal waters to sustain these people. Far more effective approaches to environmental management are needed if the loss in provision of ecosystem goods and services is to be stemmed. We propose expanded use of marine spatial planning as a framework for more effective, pragmatic management based on ocean zones to accommodate conflicting uses. This would force the holistic, regional-scale reconciliation of food security, livelihoods, and conservation that is needed. Transforming how countries manage coastal resources will require major change in policy and politics, implemented with sufficient flexibility to accommodate societal variations. Achieving this change is a major challenge - one that affects the lives of one fifth of humanity.