Coastal Governance

by Richard Burroughs PhD

Overview

Coastal Governance provides a clear overview of how U.S. coasts are currently managed and explores new approaches that could make our shores healthier. Drawing on recent national assessments, Professor Richard Burroughs explains why traditional management techniques have ultimately proved inadequate, leading to polluted waters, declining fisheries, and damaged habitat. He then introduces students to governance frameworks that seek to address these shortcomings by  considering natural and human systems holistically.
 
The book considers the ability of sector-based management, spatial management, and ecosystem-based management to solve critical environmental problems. Evaluating governance successes and failures, Burroughs covers topics including sewage disposal, dredging, wetlands, watersheds, and fisheries. He shows that at times sector-based management, which focuses on separate, individual uses of the coasts, has been implemented effectively. But he also illustrates examples of conflict, such as the incompatibility of waste disposal and fishing in the same waters. Burroughs assesses spatial and ecosystem-based management’s potential to address these conflicts.
 
The book familiarizes students not only with current management techniques but with the policy process. By focusing on policy development, Coastal Governance prepares readers with the knowledge to participate effectively in a governance system that is constantly evolving. This understanding will be critical as students become managers, policymakers, and citizens who shape the future of the coasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597264853
Publisher:	Island Press
Publication date:	11/24/2010
Series:	Foundations of Contemporary Environmental Studies Series
Edition description:	1
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Richard Burroughs is Professor of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island and Adjunct Professor of Coastal Science and Policy at Yale University. His recent articles have appeared in Coastal Management, Journal of Urban Technology, Maritime Policy and Management, Local Environment, Society and Natural Resources, and The Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Chapter 1 Coastal Challenges 1

State of the coasts 2

Drivers for environmental change 2

The ocean commissions 7

Management goals and processes 9

Organization of the book 11

Chapter 2 Policy Process 13

Problems 15

Solutions 16

Selection 18

Implementation 24

Evaluation 25

Summary 28

Chapter 3 Wastewater 30

Sewage and disease: A problem 30

Sewage treatment: A solution 31

Making treatment a requirement: Selection and implementation 37

Did sewage treatment work? Evaluation 39

Unfinished business 40

Sector-based management 41

Summary 42

Chapter 4 Oil 43

Oil resources: Origins and importance 43

Oil drilling technology 45

Environmental and social impacts of offshore oil 50

Law 56

The seaweed rebellion 61

Summary 64

Chapter 5 Dredging 66

The growth of shipping 66

Dredging processes 68

Environmental impacts 70

Law of dredging and disposal 71

Regulating the disposal of contaminated sediments 78

Gridlock 79

Enduring change? 82

Summary 84

Chapter 6 Wetlands 87

The nature of coastal wetlands 87

The value of coastal wetlands 89

Uses and consequences 92

"No net loss"-a goal 95

One wetland resource-multiple agencies 96

Management practices 98

The coastal wetland program assessed 100

Summary 102

Chapter 7 Managing Coastal and Ocean Spaces 104

Uses of coastal lands and waters 105

Conflicts 107

The Coastal Zone Management Act 108

Other space-based coastal management programs 115

Spatial management techniques 116

Evaluation of state programs 119

Spatial planning and management of ocean waters 121

Summary 122

Chapter 8 Ecosystem Governance 124

Nitrogen links among land/sea and society/nature 125

Ecosystem-based management in concept 129

Degree of change 131

Policy elements 132

Incremental change: Marine sanctuaries 135

Fundamental change: Ecosystem services 138

Summary 142

Chapter 9 Watersheds and Bays 143

Evolution of river basin management 143

River/watershed management: An agency profile 148

Managing the landscape to preserve/restore bays 150

Watershed management for the Chesapeake Bay 152

Ecosystem management for watersheds and bays 157

Summary 161

Chapter 10 Fisheries 163

Expansion of U.S. fisheries 163

Biological limits to the fishery 165

Fisheries management 168

The councils 172

Fisheries management as ecosystem governance 173

Incremental change 177

Fundamental change 180

Who decides? 181

Summary 183

Chapter 11 Conclusion 185

Ends and means 186

Sector-based management 187

Spatial management 188

Ecosystem-based management 189

Change 192

Questions for Discussion 193

References 199

Further Reading 215

Glossary 219

Index 233

Editorial Reviews

"Those of us engaged in the field of coastal and ocean management and policy are fortunate to be able to draw upon many fine books, journals and reports that both inform us and enlighten our efforts. Many of these publications are directed towards professionals, while others, serving as textbooks, focus on training students to become the next generation of ocean leaders. Seldom can a single book successfully function as both. Rarer still is the volume that transcends the usual descriptions of coastal and ocean issues by pragmatically illuminating the vital but often elusive connections between coastal science, the human dimension and policy-making, while also moving the reader from the 'old' method of sector based management strategies to a more holistic view. Dr. Rick Burroughs . . . has written such a book."

The Coastal Society Bulletin

"The policy concepts in Coastal Governance resonate strongly with the latest thinking about complexity theory as applied to the adaptive management of social-ecological systems. Burroughs succinctly and thoughtfully analyzes the ingrained habit of applying rigid, shortsighted policies to the management of the multiscale, self-organized intricacies of coastal ecosystems."

CHOICE

"Thorough and perceptive…Through careful analysis and in-depth review of past and current coastal policy, Burroughs takes stock of what works and what doesn't, and points the way ahead to a more effective coastal management approach. This is an essential policy primer for anyone working on coastal issues."

Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, University of Virginia - Timothy Beatley

"Coastal Governance provides the fundamentals needed to understand this complex process in a concise and exceptionally accessible form. Burroughs skillfully blends scientific understanding, appreciation of human dimensions, and revealing case studies, making the book an enlightening read even for professionals. He provides a lucid and up-to-date explanation of the evolution from single sector management to spatial and ecosystem approaches."

President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science - Donald F. Boesch

"This engaging primer not only explains current coastal policies, it illustrates how effective policy is developed. This is just the kind of clear-eyed analysis needed to reform coastal management and bring our shores back to life."

Director, Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, University of Delaware - Biliana Cicin-Sain

"The policy concepts in Coastal Governance resonate strongly with the latest thinking about complexity theory as applied to the adaptive management of social-ecological systems. Burroughs succinctly and thoughtfully analyzes the ingrained habit of applying rigid, shortsighted policies to the management of the multiscale, self-organized intricacies of coastal ecosystems."

Choice

"This engaging primer not only explains current coastal policies, it illustrates how effective policy is developed. This is just the kind of clear-eyed analysis needed to reform coastal management and bring our shores back to life."

Biliana Cicin-Sain

"Coastal Governance provides the fundamentals needed to understand this complex process in a concise and exceptionally accessible form. Burroughs skillfully blends scientific understanding, appreciation of human dimensions, and revealing case studies, making the book an enlightening read even for professionals. He provides a lucid and up-to-date explanation of the evolution from single sector management to spatial and ecosystem approaches."

Donald F. Boesch

"Thorough and perceptive…Through careful analysis and in-depth review of past and current coastal policy, Burroughs takes stock of what works and what doesn't, and points the way ahead to a more effective coastal management approach. This is an essential policy primer for anyone working on coastal issues."

Timothy Beatley

"Those of us engaged in the field of coastal and ocean management and policy are fortunate to be able to draw upon many fine books, journals and reports that both inform us and enlighten our efforts. Many of these publications are directed towards professionals, while others, serving as textbooks, focus on training students to become the next generation of ocean leaders. Seldom can a single book successfully function as both. Rarer still is the volume that transcends the usual descriptions of coastal and ocean issues by pragmatically illuminating the vital but often elusive connections between coastal science, the human dimension and policy-making, while also moving the reader from the 'old' method of sector based management strategies to a more holistic view. Dr. Rick Burroughs . . . has written such a book."

Coastal Society Bulletin