The critical margin: population and development on the coastal margin - impacts and alternatives
by Eric J. Fitch
Interdisciplinary Environmental Review (IER), Vol. 8, No. 2, 2006

Abstract: Human population impacts are not spread evenly across the landscape. Globally, ∼37% of the human population lives within 100 kilometers (∼62 miles) of a coast or shore; over half of the world's population lives within 200 kilometers. Average population density on the coast is double that of the much larger interior, and taking into account the vast stretches of uninhabited Arctic and Antarctic coasts, realized population density is many multiples of that in much of the world. Both overall population growth and migration are accelerating the process to the point that the 3 billion people that live in proximity to the coast could double to 6 billion in less than 25 years. The impacts on coasts and coastal ecosystems are generally negative with degradation of biological systems, increases in levels of pollution and shoreline loss, and reduction in the level of food production in the coastal zone and near shore seas but a few of the more visible losses. Despite the obvious consequences, relatively little is being done to manage these impacts. Coastal Zone and Integrated Coastal Management, where they have been tried, have had some effect, but it may be too little, too late. As climate change alters both coastal weather patterns and perhaps even ocean currents, greater and greater numbers of people are putting themselves in harms way. This paper will examine some of the larger trends in coastal population dynamics, demonstrated and potential impacts on coastal resources and what can and should be done in the medium and long term to protect both human lives and property and the fragile coasts themselves. Special attention will be paid to the experience of the American Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Online publication date: Mon, 13-May-2013

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