120
J.J. Pascual-Fernández and R. Chuenpagdee
and risks of non-native oysters ( Crassostrea ariakensis ) to the Chesapeake Bay has
been on-going since their introduction in the 1990s, as suggested for example by
Graczyk et al. ( 2006 ) .
According to the FAO ( 2010 ) , aquaculture development since 2000 has mostly
followed an ecosystem approach to management principles, and is in accord with
the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. While such trends are not consistent
in all regions of the world, it is certainly a step in the right direction that should lead
to better overall environmental performance of the aquaculture sector. Such improvement can be attributed to various factors, including technological innovations, lead
to improved feed conversion and reduction of fi shmeal, and appropriate legislation
and governance.
Sea Level Rise and Global Warming: Widening the Scale
Human impacts on ecosystem may be local, but increasingly scienti fi c evidence
suggests that they generate problems at a global scale. For instance, when humans
transform coastal areas by developing tourist resorts and associated infrastructures,
the local impact is coastal alteration, while at a distance they contribute to increasing CO 2 emissions. This results in global warming, which is an increasing challenge
to coastal and ocean ecosystems, and may alter large areas in a process that is still
largely uncertain. A high rate of ecosystem change is one of the effects of global
warming, driving, for instance, the extinction of some species. Corals are among the
most affected species, as the rise in temperature results in an incident referred to as
‘coral bleaching,’ threatening their survival (Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007 ) .
Sea level rise, due to, among other factors, global warming and the melting of
polar ice (Warrick et al. 1993 ) , may increase the challenges for coastal populations, especially in some island states. Scienti fi c evidence has clearly shown the
capacity of humankind in altering natural cycles and accelerating changes that
have previously occurred at lower rates, surpassing even the ability of science to
predict the consequences. In fact, according to Church et al. ( 2001 ) several ice
sheets (like the Antarctic and the Greenland) and other hundred thousand nonpolar glaciers contain water suf fi cient to raise signi fi cant sea level if they were
melted. In addition to islands like the Maldives, many highly populated estuaries
may be inundated by these changes, although the rate of these processes is the
subject of scienti fi c debate.
4 Other effects of global warming include variations
in the acidity of the ocean, wind patterns and hurricanes, all of which pose high
risks for many coastal territories. In general, aquatic ecosystems may buffer
climatic changes and reduce shocks, but not when the magnitude of change is high.
The growing risks and scales of these processes increase governability challenges.
4 For instance (Mörner 2007 ) , criticizes the assumptions about the current process of sea level rise
and their impacts in Maldives or Sri-Lanka.
J.J. Pascual-Fernández and R. Chuenpagdee
and risks of non-native oysters ( Crassostrea ariakensis ) to the Chesapeake Bay has
been on-going since their introduction in the 1990s, as suggested for example by
Graczyk et al. ( 2006 ) .
According to the FAO ( 2010 ) , aquaculture development since 2000 has mostly
followed an ecosystem approach to management principles, and is in accord with
the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. While such trends are not consistent
in all regions of the world, it is certainly a step in the right direction that should lead
to better overall environmental performance of the aquaculture sector. Such improvement can be attributed to various factors, including technological innovations, lead
to improved feed conversion and reduction of fi shmeal, and appropriate legislation
and governance.
Sea Level Rise and Global Warming: Widening the Scale
Human impacts on ecosystem may be local, but increasingly scienti fi c evidence
suggests that they generate problems at a global scale. For instance, when humans
transform coastal areas by developing tourist resorts and associated infrastructures,
the local impact is coastal alteration, while at a distance they contribute to increasing CO 2 emissions. This results in global warming, which is an increasing challenge
to coastal and ocean ecosystems, and may alter large areas in a process that is still
largely uncertain. A high rate of ecosystem change is one of the effects of global
warming, driving, for instance, the extinction of some species. Corals are among the
most affected species, as the rise in temperature results in an incident referred to as
‘coral bleaching,’ threatening their survival (Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007 ) .
Sea level rise, due to, among other factors, global warming and the melting of
polar ice (Warrick et al. 1993 ) , may increase the challenges for coastal populations, especially in some island states. Scienti fi c evidence has clearly shown the
capacity of humankind in altering natural cycles and accelerating changes that
have previously occurred at lower rates, surpassing even the ability of science to
predict the consequences. In fact, according to Church et al. ( 2001 ) several ice
sheets (like the Antarctic and the Greenland) and other hundred thousand nonpolar glaciers contain water suf fi cient to raise signi fi cant sea level if they were
melted. In addition to islands like the Maldives, many highly populated estuaries
may be inundated by these changes, although the rate of these processes is the
subject of scienti fi c debate.
4 Other effects of global warming include variations
in the acidity of the ocean, wind patterns and hurricanes, all of which pose high
risks for many coastal territories. In general, aquatic ecosystems may buffer
climatic changes and reduce shocks, but not when the magnitude of change is high.
The growing risks and scales of these processes increase governability challenges.
4 For instance (Mörner 2007 ) , criticizes the assumptions about the current process of sea level rise
and their impacts in Maldives or Sri-Lanka.