Recommendations
Preamble
In most parts of the world coastal ecosystems are vital strongholds of biodiversity and
provide important habitats for highly adapted and hence very sensitive plant and animal communities. On the other hand, these land/sea transition wnes have been and
are increasingly becoming important sites for human activities. This is highlighted by
the fact that over 60% of the world's population lives within 50 km of the coast.
The increasing number of large-scale constructions exerts strong pressures on the
environment. Our modern technological civilisation has to deal with the problems
created by the globalisation of economic activities, recreation demands, an exploding
population and urbanisation, the needs of sustainable economic development, and
efforts to preserve the environment on a global scale. These pressures on our ecological and social systems inevitably result in conflicts between economy and ecology,
and have precipitated discussions about the value of the biophysical environment,
and the need for a new ethic.
In order to tackle these problems the Symposium on Large-Scale Constructions in
Coastal Environments for the first time brought together spatial planners and specialists in the fields of environmental policy, environmental economy, environmental
ethics and environmental science with the objective of identifying and discussing
cause/effect relationships, and recommending potential remedies to the numerous
conflicts between environmental concerns and economic interests. Solutions require
sound knowledge of the biophysical and socio-economic environment as a unified
system
In the course of the conference a number of factors and issues were identified
which appear to lie at the root of these conflicts. On this basis, the open participatory
process and the interconnection between all disciplines led to a number of important
recommendations which primarily focus on the need for developing a comprehensive, integrated environmental management approach.
The recommendations are aimed at all stakeholders, such as heavy industry and
other economic businesses, planning organisations and supervising authorities involved in the implementation, execution and management of large-scale constructions, governmental ministries and agencies implicated in such developments, as well
as the general public affected by such activities, including non-governmental organisations such as nature conservation bodies and societies.
Although it is beyond the power of the conference delegates to enforce implementation of the proposed recommendations, they call upon the support and assistance
of international organisations such as the UNECE and UNEP with the request that
they pass them on to governments and other policy makers for their urgent attention.
Preamble
In most parts of the world coastal ecosystems are vital strongholds of biodiversity and
provide important habitats for highly adapted and hence very sensitive plant and animal communities. On the other hand, these land/sea transition wnes have been and
are increasingly becoming important sites for human activities. This is highlighted by
the fact that over 60% of the world's population lives within 50 km of the coast.
The increasing number of large-scale constructions exerts strong pressures on the
environment. Our modern technological civilisation has to deal with the problems
created by the globalisation of economic activities, recreation demands, an exploding
population and urbanisation, the needs of sustainable economic development, and
efforts to preserve the environment on a global scale. These pressures on our ecological and social systems inevitably result in conflicts between economy and ecology,
and have precipitated discussions about the value of the biophysical environment,
and the need for a new ethic.
In order to tackle these problems the Symposium on Large-Scale Constructions in
Coastal Environments for the first time brought together spatial planners and specialists in the fields of environmental policy, environmental economy, environmental
ethics and environmental science with the objective of identifying and discussing
cause/effect relationships, and recommending potential remedies to the numerous
conflicts between environmental concerns and economic interests. Solutions require
sound knowledge of the biophysical and socio-economic environment as a unified
system
In the course of the conference a number of factors and issues were identified
which appear to lie at the root of these conflicts. On this basis, the open participatory
process and the interconnection between all disciplines led to a number of important
recommendations which primarily focus on the need for developing a comprehensive, integrated environmental management approach.
The recommendations are aimed at all stakeholders, such as heavy industry and
other economic businesses, planning organisations and supervising authorities involved in the implementation, execution and management of large-scale constructions, governmental ministries and agencies implicated in such developments, as well
as the general public affected by such activities, including non-governmental organisations such as nature conservation bodies and societies.
Although it is beyond the power of the conference delegates to enforce implementation of the proposed recommendations, they call upon the support and assistance
of international organisations such as the UNECE and UNEP with the request that
they pass them on to governments and other policy makers for their urgent attention.