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Focus
Top image credit: NASA
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Coastal Cities: Living on the Edge John Tibbetts Abstract
Cities by the sea. The lights of the Earth's cities, as seen from space by a NASA satellite, tell of a population that prefers to live on the coast. Coastal cities have grown dramatically over the past 50 years, a trend that is projected to continue into the foreseeable future. Such growth, stimulated by the world's expanding economy, stresses fragile but important ecosystems. Government oversight of coastal zones is disjointed even in developed countries, and is often influenced by competing industrial concerns including shipping, fishing, and petroleum extraction. Integrated coastal management programs are seen by many experts and advocates as a way to bring together wide-ranging interests for the benefit of coastal environments. Although many such programs are working, their success hinges on adequate funding and cooperation among stakeholders.
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