I. The Coastal Zone
9
2.2 Conflicting Interests
Beyond matters physical and geological, exploitation of a coastal zone triggers off
many economic and social consequences. Whether an activity is coastal, offshore
or open ocean sited, such activities as processing, transportation and marketing of
marine products will have socio-economic and political ramifications. Economic
and environmental conflicts between various types of users of the coastal zone are
often inevitable, and deep-seated. Priorities always create a dilemma for coastal
zone management.
An area used for touristic purposes may be ideally suited for the establishment of
a harbor, a petroleum terminal, or an unsightly but sorely needed artificial island
with a waste processing factory.
This raises the dilenum of choosing between creation of new long term, and wellpaid, jobs, and seasonal work for the fisherman or for service jobs during the
holiday season.
Among the economic aspects of a mining operation in the coastal zone, one must
consider the nature of risks involved, alternative solutions of resource allocation
and indemnities to be paid to the resource owner, types of benefits to be drawn
from mining, and the economic rent. Furthermore, responsible parties must
scrutinize resource conservation problems and ensure that the resource be
extracted at an acceptable level. This means a tailored mineral extraction plan as
a function of its environmental location and the extraction technology, a
considerable task requiring a high level of competency.
To reiterate the underlying situation, the problem to solve is to establish how
economic development of the marine milieu can be reconciled, and how to
simultaneously protect the environment while avoiding, or at least reducing,
conflicts between various competing ocean-user groups. The concept of
sustainability has evolved of these enviromnental considerations.
9
2.2 Conflicting Interests
Beyond matters physical and geological, exploitation of a coastal zone triggers off
many economic and social consequences. Whether an activity is coastal, offshore
or open ocean sited, such activities as processing, transportation and marketing of
marine products will have socio-economic and political ramifications. Economic
and environmental conflicts between various types of users of the coastal zone are
often inevitable, and deep-seated. Priorities always create a dilemma for coastal
zone management.
An area used for touristic purposes may be ideally suited for the establishment of
a harbor, a petroleum terminal, or an unsightly but sorely needed artificial island
with a waste processing factory.
This raises the dilenum of choosing between creation of new long term, and wellpaid, jobs, and seasonal work for the fisherman or for service jobs during the
holiday season.
Among the economic aspects of a mining operation in the coastal zone, one must
consider the nature of risks involved, alternative solutions of resource allocation
and indemnities to be paid to the resource owner, types of benefits to be drawn
from mining, and the economic rent. Furthermore, responsible parties must
scrutinize resource conservation problems and ensure that the resource be
extracted at an acceptable level. This means a tailored mineral extraction plan as
a function of its environmental location and the extraction technology, a
considerable task requiring a high level of competency.
To reiterate the underlying situation, the problem to solve is to establish how
economic development of the marine milieu can be reconciled, and how to
simultaneously protect the environment while avoiding, or at least reducing,
conflicts between various competing ocean-user groups. The concept of
sustainability has evolved of these enviromnental considerations.