Coastal and estuarine environments at the interface of terrestrial and marine areas are among the most productive in the world. However, since the beginning of the industrial era, these ecosystems have been subjected to strong anthropogenic pressures intensified from the second half of the 20th century, when there was a marked acceleration in the warming (climate change) of the continents, particularly at high latitudes. Coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable to alteration of their physical, chemical and biological characteristics (marine intrusion, acidification of marine environments, changes in ecosystems, evolution and artificialization of the coastline, etc.).In contact with heavily populated areas, these environments are often the receptacle of a lot of chemical and biological pollution sources that significantly diminish their resilience. In this context of accelerated evolution and degradation of these areas important for food security of many populations around the world, it is necessary to better identify the factors of pressure and understand, at different scales of observation, their effects and impacts on the biodiversity and on the socio-eco-systems, in order to determine the degree of vulnerability of these coastal ecosystems and the risks they face. A transdisciplinary and integrated approach is required to prevent risks. Within this framework, operational coastal oceanography occupies an important place but also the implementation of a true socio-eco-system approach in order to set up an environmentally friendly development.

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 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 eff ectively 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.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume addresses the potential for combining large-scale marine aquaculture of macroalgae, molluscs, crustaceans, and finfish, with offshore structures, primarily those associated with energy production, such as wind turbines and oil-drilling platforms. The volume offers a comprehensive overview and includes chapters on policy, science, engineering, and economic aspects to make this concept a reality. The compilation of chapters authored by internationally recognized researchers across the globe addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of multi-use, and presents case studies of research, development, and demonstration-scale installations in the US and EU.

This edited book provides perceptions on “indigeneity” through a global perspective. Emphasizing the contemporary and postcolonial debates on indigenous, it delves into diversity and dissonance within indigenous concepts. Through its chapters based on theoretical and empirical studies from Asian, African, and American perceptions of indigenous societies, it brings out complexity, resilience, and response of “indigenous” in the post-colonial global society. It especially looks at how these societies manage to move forward by going beyond the stigma of the colonial past. The chapters in the book are divided into three sections where they discuss indigenous cultures through interdisciplinary perspectives. The narrative approach of historical concepts and contemporary indigenous challenges within the book include anthropological, cultural, ecological, historical, literary, and legal studies. The contributions in the collection come from widely respected international scholars who are engaged in indigeneity and postcolonial questions. It allows the reader to (re)discover the theories and resilience of the indigenous societies that are historically marked and are reshaping the histories and contemporary narratives in the world. This book is of particular interest to scholars, students, policymakers, and people curious about the histories and the dynamic progress of the indigenous and indigenous societies of Africa, the Americas, and Asia.

The marine environment does not naturally respect arbitrary international boundaries. The establishment and management of transboundary marine protected areas therefore presents major governance challenges. This book analyses a series of marine transboundary conservation initiatives embedded in varying contextual situations to examine the underlying reasons for their success or failure. Utilising an adapted ‘pathways of influence’ framework, it provides insights into the development of marine transboundary conservation initiatives looking at the effectiveness of international rules, international norms and discourse, market forces and direct access to policy making. Examples come from a wide range of jurisdictions, including territorial seas, continental shelves, exclusive economic zones and areas beyond national jurisdiction. Case studies include initiatives in the Coral Triangle, West Africa, Central America, the Wadden Sea, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. In addition the authors assess the potential for developing wider international cooperation as a result of relationships forged though involvement within these marine transboundary conservation initiatives.

An approach that encompasses the human and natural dimensions of ecosystems is one that the Wider Caribbean Region knows it must adopt and implement, in order to ensure the sustainable use of the region's shared marine resources. This volume contributes towards that vision, bringing together the collective knowledge and experience of scholars and practitioners within the Wider Caribbean to begin the process of assembling a road map towards marine ecosystem based management (EBM) for the region. It also serves a broader purpose of providing stakeholders and policy actors in each of the world's sixty-four Large Marine Ecosystems, with a comparative example of the challenges and information needs required to implement principled ocean governance generally and marine EBM in particular, at multiple levels. Additionally, the volume serves to supplement the training of graduate level students in the marine sciences by enhancing interdisciplinary understanding of challenges in implementing marine EBM.