102 Ecology and Applied Environmental Science
contribute to the decrease of marine pollution since they have the ability to
break down and retain, through physical or biochemical processes, the pollution loads contained in agricultural runoffs and in urban and industrial
waste. Of course, their assimilative capacity is not unlimited and they face
the risk of serious degradation if the pollution exceeds certain concentrations, according to the kind of pollutant. This sensitivity increases when the
depth is small and the water renewal is slow.
5.4.2 coast degradation Factors
and Protection needs
Coastal ecosystems, due to their special characteristics, have increased
sensitivity and require rational management. They constitute a significant
ecological and economic capital with great possibilities if properly utilized,
which, however, can quickly suffer degradation because of thoughtless interventions. Since the first developmental stages of societies, man was closely
connected with the sea. Most settlements and the largest concentration of
people developed in the coastal areas. First, the sea ensured a percentage of
man’s diet, while with the development of trade it became the main route
for the traffic of products. Moreover, the climate in coastal areas is milder
and friendlier for man’s subsistence. Man’s traditional relationship with
the sea was to a great extent harmonious without causing serious negative impacts to the environmental equilibrium. This relationship, though,
was gradually disturbed because of the subsistence needs of the increasing
opment of industrial production and the rocketing increase of technological abilities seriously undermined man’s relationship with the sea, mainly
because of the uncontrolled dumping of all kinds of waste into the sea from
the coastal urban and industrial areas as well as from sea transport.
The development of technology improved man’s living standard and his
adaptability to various environments; nevertheless a large percentage of the
world’s population still lives in the coastal areas. Most big cities, where the
greatest part of economic and other activities is centred, are near the coast.
Significant percentages of raw materials and energy are obtained from the
coastal region: oil and gas, wind, wave and tidal energy, seafood from fishing and aquaculture, sand and gravel from marine aggregates, salt from
sea saltworks, freshwater from desalination, etc. The development of new
technological applications creates prospects for even more intensive exploitation of the coastal and marine space. At the same time, the lack of proper
management, the depletion of natural resources and the accumulation of
waste in the environment by production and consumption activities create
serious degradation problems in the coastal region; these problems often
become a hindrance for developmental activities and a threat for people’s
health and quality of life.
contribute to the decrease of marine pollution since they have the ability to
break down and retain, through physical or biochemical processes, the pollution loads contained in agricultural runoffs and in urban and industrial
waste. Of course, their assimilative capacity is not unlimited and they face
the risk of serious degradation if the pollution exceeds certain concentrations, according to the kind of pollutant. This sensitivity increases when the
depth is small and the water renewal is slow.
5.4.2 coast degradation Factors
and Protection needs
Coastal ecosystems, due to their special characteristics, have increased
sensitivity and require rational management. They constitute a significant
ecological and economic capital with great possibilities if properly utilized,
which, however, can quickly suffer degradation because of thoughtless interventions. Since the first developmental stages of societies, man was closely
connected with the sea. Most settlements and the largest concentration of
people developed in the coastal areas. First, the sea ensured a percentage of
man’s diet, while with the development of trade it became the main route
for the traffic of products. Moreover, the climate in coastal areas is milder
and friendlier for man’s subsistence. Man’s traditional relationship with
the sea was to a great extent harmonious without causing serious negative impacts to the environmental equilibrium. This relationship, though,
was gradually disturbed because of the subsistence needs of the increasing
opment of industrial production and the rocketing increase of technological abilities seriously undermined man’s relationship with the sea, mainly
because of the uncontrolled dumping of all kinds of waste into the sea from
the coastal urban and industrial areas as well as from sea transport.
The development of technology improved man’s living standard and his
adaptability to various environments; nevertheless a large percentage of the
world’s population still lives in the coastal areas. Most big cities, where the
greatest part of economic and other activities is centred, are near the coast.
Significant percentages of raw materials and energy are obtained from the
coastal region: oil and gas, wind, wave and tidal energy, seafood from fishing and aquaculture, sand and gravel from marine aggregates, salt from
sea saltworks, freshwater from desalination, etc. The development of new
technological applications creates prospects for even more intensive exploitation of the coastal and marine space. At the same time, the lack of proper
management, the depletion of natural resources and the accumulation of
waste in the environment by production and consumption activities create
serious degradation problems in the coastal region; these problems often
become a hindrance for developmental activities and a threat for people’s
health and quality of life.