Estuary And Coastal Habitat Conservation

Estuarine and coastal waters are acknowledged points of anthropogenic impact. For practitioners, academics and students in the field of coastal science and policy, this book examines and exemplifies current and future challenges: from upper estuaries to open coasts and adjacent seas; from tropical to temperate latitudes; from Europe to Australia.

Estuaries are among the most biologically productive and threatened ecosystems in the world. The sustainability of estuarine ecosystems is in question due to coastal development, human population growth, and the increasing extraction of nearshore resources. Effective conservation of estuaries requires the achievement of two long-term goals: an objective, landscape-level scientific assessment to identify important areas for sustaining waterbird populations; and timely and efficient allocation of resources to conserve priority sites. To address the first goal, this project identified and mapped 142 of British Columbia's estuaries on behalf of the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program using standardized criteria and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The project provided a quantifiable regional overview of estuary habitats that links existing biophysical data attributes to assist conservation planning. Individual estuaries were ranked for their biological importance to waterbirds (ducks, geese, swans, loons, and grebes) using data and metrics of estuary size, habitat type and rarity, herring spawn occurrence, waterbird use, and intertidal biodiversity.--Document.

Examines the issues surrounding the human use and abuse of estuarine and coastal environments and explores the ways in which management and conservation policies can protect these productive and diverse ecosystems.