Introduction and Overview
3
global carbon flow models may represent unquantified processes occurring within the
coastal zone. For any group of researchers wishing to investigate and model a particular local coastal system (or aspects of that system) for subsequent up-scaling into larger
models or wider regional estimates, there are initially two types of information required:
• estimations of biogeochemical fluxes in the system as it is now, for eventual incorporation into global estimates of flux through the coastal zone; and
• dynamic simulations of processes in the coastal system which can be used to explore the consequences of environmental change, and produce forecasts of future
fluxes.
The'l'econd type of information set will require the integration of socio-economic
and natural science data and models in two basic analytical contexts:
• to provide an understanding of the external forcing effects of socio-economic
changes such as, for example, population growth, urbanisation, and other land use
changes on fluxes of C, N, P and sediment; and
• to assess the human welfare impacts of flux changes due to of consequent processes
and functions changes in coastal resource systems. Such assessments of the social
costs and benefits involved will provide essential coastal management intelligence
based on social science and possible resource and value trade offs.
The second analytical context poses a more formidable research task, not just because of the data requirements and the integration problem involving data which differs in form and in spatial and temporal scale, but because the long term goal is the
development of an integrated prognostic assessment capability.
The assessment of the impact of changes in the coastal zone on human use of resources (wealth creation) and habitation (quality of life aspects) requires the application of socio-economic research methods and techniques in the context of coastal resource assessment and management. A particular contribution of socio-economic research is the incorporation of evaluation methods and techniques which can be applied to specific resource damage and utilisation situations (projects, policies or courses
of action which change land use/cover, alter or modify residuals from point and nonpoint sources etc.) because of C, Nand P flux changes and related consequences, including loss of functions and even habitats. Again most of these valuation studies will
be at a locallregionallevel and the same scaling-up problem presents itself. However,
the transfer of economic valuation estimates (known as benefits transfer) across time
and geographical and cultural space is controversial (Turner and Adger 1996;
Turner et al. 1998a).
The first chapter by Turner and Bower expands on the P-S-I-R framework in a discussion of the basic principles of integrated coastal management. Turner and Bower
place considerable emphasis on a model based on the concept of functional diversity,
which links ecosystem processes and functions with outputs of goods and services,
which can then be assigned monetary economic and/or other values (Folke et al. 1996).
Functional diversity can be defined as the variety of different responses to environmental change, in particular the variety of spatial ,md temporal scales with which or-
3
global carbon flow models may represent unquantified processes occurring within the
coastal zone. For any group of researchers wishing to investigate and model a particular local coastal system (or aspects of that system) for subsequent up-scaling into larger
models or wider regional estimates, there are initially two types of information required:
• estimations of biogeochemical fluxes in the system as it is now, for eventual incorporation into global estimates of flux through the coastal zone; and
• dynamic simulations of processes in the coastal system which can be used to explore the consequences of environmental change, and produce forecasts of future
fluxes.
The'l'econd type of information set will require the integration of socio-economic
and natural science data and models in two basic analytical contexts:
• to provide an understanding of the external forcing effects of socio-economic
changes such as, for example, population growth, urbanisation, and other land use
changes on fluxes of C, N, P and sediment; and
• to assess the human welfare impacts of flux changes due to of consequent processes
and functions changes in coastal resource systems. Such assessments of the social
costs and benefits involved will provide essential coastal management intelligence
based on social science and possible resource and value trade offs.
The second analytical context poses a more formidable research task, not just because of the data requirements and the integration problem involving data which differs in form and in spatial and temporal scale, but because the long term goal is the
development of an integrated prognostic assessment capability.
The assessment of the impact of changes in the coastal zone on human use of resources (wealth creation) and habitation (quality of life aspects) requires the application of socio-economic research methods and techniques in the context of coastal resource assessment and management. A particular contribution of socio-economic research is the incorporation of evaluation methods and techniques which can be applied to specific resource damage and utilisation situations (projects, policies or courses
of action which change land use/cover, alter or modify residuals from point and nonpoint sources etc.) because of C, Nand P flux changes and related consequences, including loss of functions and even habitats. Again most of these valuation studies will
be at a locallregionallevel and the same scaling-up problem presents itself. However,
the transfer of economic valuation estimates (known as benefits transfer) across time
and geographical and cultural space is controversial (Turner and Adger 1996;
Turner et al. 1998a).
The first chapter by Turner and Bower expands on the P-S-I-R framework in a discussion of the basic principles of integrated coastal management. Turner and Bower
place considerable emphasis on a model based on the concept of functional diversity,
which links ecosystem processes and functions with outputs of goods and services,
which can then be assigned monetary economic and/or other values (Folke et al. 1996).
Functional diversity can be defined as the variety of different responses to environmental change, in particular the variety of spatial ,md temporal scales with which or-