The politics of coastal policy, planning and governance in Canada and Australia : business as usual, at a distance, or collaborative?

Canada and Australia are countries with substantial coastal zones which provide significant economic, social and environmental benefits and opportunities. The coastal zones of Canada and Australia also share significant threats such as, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change, while also facing different challenges that are unique to their particular contexts. Effective management of such zones therefore represents a considerable challenge because of the: complexity of biophysical processes; multiple threats faced; uncertainties associated with understandings of such processes and threats, and the multiple jurisdictions and stakeholder viewpoints as to how such environments should be managed. Further, coasts and the sustainability of coastal resources and ecosystems have been argued to represent ‘wicked problems’ such that their governability is called into question. Therefore drawing on recent experiences in coastal policy, planning and governance in Newfoundland, Canada, and Victoria, Australia, this paper assesses the adequacy of current approaches to coastal governance in the two jurisdictions. In doing so we draw on recent policy and governance literature to consider whether coastal policy, planning and governance in Newfoundland and Victoria, reflect a collaborative, neoliberal, or business as usual (ad hoc, top down) approach. Based on such an assessment we consider the prospects for more integrated coastal zone management in each jurisdiction, as well as broader implications for governance and the resilience of coastal systems. It is argued that while both jurisdictions would benefit from a more collaborative approach, the mechanisms for bringing about such an approach would vary and will not come easily in light of institutional and historic barriers.

Unauthorised human use of an urban coastal wetland sanctuary: current and future patterns

Urban expansion brings profound impacts and challenges to many ecosystems, including wetlands. Unauthorised public access to wetland sanctuaries can lead to a number of management problems, such as increasing disturbance to migratory shorebirds. We investigate unauthorised human use of a coastal urban wetland located in Melbourne, Australia, and use current results to predict future patterns of visitation under different management and urban development scenarios. Despite being officially closed to the public, 20.8% of the 574 ha wetland experienced human intrusions during the sampling period. These were most frequent in the section which directly abuts residential development where over 50% of the wetland experienced intrusions. The most frequently observed activities were walking (4.8 ± 4.9 intrusions per observation day), dog walking (8.5 ± 4.5), cycling (3.0 ± 1.8) and motorised trail bike riding (2.5 ± 1.0). There were significant negative relationships between the occurrence of intrusions and distance from the wetland boundary and access points. Walkers and dog walkers were likely to intrude more deeply into the wetlands than other users. We predict that once residential development is completed around the entire perimeter of the wetland that 48% of the total area will be subject to intrusions. This will increase to 58.8% if internal management tracks are opened for public use. We recommend that the current access policy is maintained, and compliance is enhanced through education and additional physical barriers. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An assessment of fiscal and regulatory barriers to deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Belize

Belize is currently faced with several critical challenges associated with the production, distribution and use of energy. Despite an abundance of renewable energy resources, the country remains disproportionately dependent on imported fossil fuels, which exposes it to volatile and rising oil prices, limits economic development, and retards its ability to make the investments that are necessary for adapting to climate change, which pose a particularly acute threat to the small island states and low-lying coastal nations of the Caribbean. This transition from energy consumption and supply patterns that are based on imported fossil fuels and electricity towards a more sustainable energy economy that is based on environmentally benign, indigenous renewable energy technologies and more efficient use of energy requires concerted action as the country is already challenged by limited fiscal space which reduces its ability to provide some fiscal incentives, which have been proven to be effective tools for the promotion of sustainable energy markets in a number of countries. This report identifies the fiscal and regulatory barriers to implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies in Belize. Data and information were derived from stakeholder consultations conducted within the country. The major result of the assessment is that the transition of policies and plans into tangible action needs to be increased. In this regard, it is necessary to articulate sub-policies of the National Energy Policy to amend the Public Utilities Commission Act, to develop a grid interconnection policy, to establish minimum energy performance standards for buildings and equipment and to develop a public procurement policy. Finally, decisions on renewable energy and energy efficiency-related incentives from the Government formally requires decision-makers to solve what may be extremely complex optimization problems in order to obtain the lowest-cost provision of energy services to society, thereby weighing the cost of revenue losses with the benefits of fuel and infrastructure expansion savings. The establishment of a management system that is efficient, flexible, and transparent, which will facilitate the implementation of the strategic objectives and outputs in the time available, with the financial resources allocated is recommended. Support is required for additional institutional and capacity strengthening.

Coastal Impacts Around Guadiaro River Mouth (Spain)

The “Port of Sotogrande” Beach (San Roque, Cadiz, Spain) has suffered significant erosion and changes since the construction of the marina and port of Sotogrande (San Roque, Cadiz, Spain). This paper reviews the dynamical processes on Guadiaro front and establishes relationship between them. It sets from a comparative evolution of the Alboran Sea Coast outlets and bays since the Little Ice Age, which shows that the Guadiaro estuary has remained functional while all other Alboran fluvial estuaries silted to son. The study shows the evidences of the coastal impacts around the mouth, even further than mouth littoral barriers, of the port infrastructures; and it provides new elements to understand the dynamical processes on the mouth and surroundings as well. That should be fundamental for shore protection along the whole coastal stretch

Origins and distribution of saline ground waters in the Floridan aquifer in coastal southwest Florida /

Bibliography: p. 32-34.

How did the AD 1755 tsunami impact on sand barriers across the southern coast of Portugal?

Tsunamis are highly energetic events that may destructively impact the coast. Resolving the degree of coastal resilience to tsunamis is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible. In part, our understanding is constrained by the limited number of contemporaneous examples and by the high dynamism of coastal systems. In fact, longterm changes of coastal systems can mask the evidence of past tsunamis, leaving us a short or incomplete sedimentary archive. Here, we present a multidisciplinary approach involving sedimentological, geomorphological and geophysical analyses and numerical modelling of the AD 1755 tsunami flood on a coastal segment located within the southern coast of Portugal. In particular, the work focuses on deciphering the impact of the tsunami waves over a coastal sand barrier enclosing two lowlands largely inundated by the tsunami flood. Erosional features documented by geophysical data were assigned to the AD 1755 eventwith support of sedimentological and age estimation results. Furthermore, these features allowed the calibration of the simulation settings to reconstruct the local conditions and establish the run-up range of the AD 1755 tsunami when it hit this coast (6– 8 m above mean sea level). Our work highlights the usefulness of erosional imprints preserved in the sediment record to interpret the impact of the extreme events on sand barriers