by Elisabeth Mann Borgese Founder and Honorary President International Ocean Institute Adalberto Vallega has been, for decades, a master and great teacher of integrated coastal management and Mediterranean cooperation. This new book, of an almost en cyclopaedic scope, is a most original contribution to the rapidly growing literature on the subject, of equal value to the academic community which will greatly appreciate the theoretical, historic and philosophical underpinning of the work, and to the practi tioner, the planner, regulator and manager, who will find in these pages most useful "checklists" for his duties and responsibilities. Vallega perceives the need for Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) in the broader context of the ongoing third industrial revolution, which he calls the trans-industrial stage, in its interaction with climate change. There have been profound changes in the economies of the industrialized coun tries. The development of the new High Technologies, including micro-electronics, genetic engineering, new materials, has accelerated the transition from an economic system based primarily on production to one based very largely on services. This, in turn, has facilitated "globalization" of production systems and services, including the financial system, as well as the migration of people The ongoing global "Great Peo ple's Migration" is, generally, from the hinterland to the coasts where, already today, over 60 percent of the human population resides, exercising unprecedented pressures on the coastal and marine environment. Clearly, this justifies the current emphasis, at global, regional and national levels, on the need for coastal management.

An overview of the coordination of various requirements for coastal-zone use is provided in this book, offering examples and best practice. Although it focuses on European coastal zones, it also considers global and historical developments. Questions at the end of each chapter enable readers to test their understanding.

Coastal waters around the globe suffer from strain due to a widerange of human activities. The situation calls for a holisticapproach, combining expertise from nature and social science, toreach a balanced and sustainable development of the coastal zone. This important book comprises the proceedings of TheInternational Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management,which took place in Arendal, Norway between 11-14 June 2007. The main objective of the Symposium was to present currentknowledge and to address issues on advice and management related tothe coastal zone. The major themes of papers included in this bookare: Coastal habitats Impacts on coastal systems Integrated Coastal Zone Management Coastal governance Comprising a huge wealth of information, this timely and welledited volume is essential reading for all those involved incoastal zone management around the globe. All libraries in researchestablishments and universities where fisheries and aquaticsciences are studied and taught will need copies of this importantvolume on their shelves.

Biliana Cicin-Sain and Robert W. Knecht are co-directors of the Center for the Study of Marine Policy at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware and co-authors of The Future of U.S. Ocean Policy (Island Press, 1998).

Coastal zones are critical multiple-use resources, under pressure from constant demands from different sources - conservation, economic growth and social welfare. This book identifies the dilemmas of managing conservation and development in coastal areas. It offers important information on the management, conservation and social implications of coastal resources. The authors present a variety of participatory methods and techniques that can be used to show the success or otherwise of the different uses and how they affect the users. Their interdisciplinary analysis draws upon scientific knowledge as well as the latest social science insights on property rights and governance. The book is intended for researchers and students in geography, development studies and environmental planning, and also for practitioners in natural resource management and coastal zone management.

Studies of marine ecology have traditionally been approached through lectures and field courses devoted mainly to intertidal and inshore habitats, and it is surprising in these days of increased awareness of man's environmental impact that so little attention has been given to integrated approaches involving the whole coastal zone and including the terrestrial part, which is man's major habitat. The coastal zone has been the subject of extensive investigation, not only because of its biological diversity and accessibility, but also because of its economic and aesthetic importance to man. This book is written with the intention of providing a concise but readable account of coastal ecology for advanced undergraduates and immediate postgraduates. We have adopted a habitat-organismal ap proach because we believe that a knowledge of biota and major features of their environment is the best key to an understanding of both larger-scale processes, such as energy flow and nutrient cycling, and smaller-scale but equally fundamental processes, such as behavioural and physiological ecology. Examples have been selected from polar, temperate and tropical regions of the world. The breadth of the subject has dictated selectivity from sources too numerous to acknowledge individually, but we have included an up-to-date reference list for the main subjects of each chapter.

In this new and highly original textbook for a range of interdisciplinary courses and degree programmes focusing on marine and coastal resource management, readers are offered an introduction to the subject matter, a broad perspective and understanding, case study applications, and a reference source. Each chapter is written by an international authority and expert in the respective field, providing perspectives from physical and human geography, marine biology and fisheries, planning and surveying, law, technology, environmental change, engineering, and tourism. In addition to an overview of the theory and practice of its subject area, many chapters include detailed case studies to illustrate the applications, including relationships to decision-making requirements at local, regional, and national levels. Each chapter also includes a list of references for further reading, with a selection of key journal papers and URLs. Overall, this volume provides a key textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate courses and for the coastal or marine practitioner, as well as a long-term reference for students.