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Why Are We Here?
Severe storms, climate change, sea level rise, air and water pollution, loss of wildlife habitat, and prior land use planning threaten the health of our nation’s coasts and the safety and welfare of people who live there. People depend on healthy estuaries and other coastal ecosystems for food, harbors, transportation, livelihoods, flood protection, and recreation Additionally, these ecosystems support abundant plant and animal communities and serve as foraging and nursery grounds, corridors for movement, and refugia. Today, more than half of the United States population is located within 50 miles of the coast and generates nearly 60% of the United States gross domestic product (Crossett 2004). Combined climate and human related factors, such as society’s dependence on and use of the coastal lands and waters, creates enormous and increasingly evident pressures on coastal communities and ecosystems. These impacts include increased pollution, degradation of commercial fish stocks, and the loss of natural areas and open space to growth and development. In turn, risks to human populations from the coastal environment include health risks associated with poor water quality, food shortages as fisheries struggle to support human demands, and property damage from storms and other hazards.
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| Discussing the challenges of coastal erosion, courtesy of Rookery Bay NERR |
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People who have made official decisions about coastal resources often did so with the best scientific information available to them at the time. However, scientific discovery is rapidly evolving, new tools are always in development, and oftentimes new information negates old information. Furthermore, access to relevant information can be difficult. Therefore, past decisions may not coincide with today’s best available knowledge, and may have led to adverse conditions in coastal regions. The experience of the last century has shown that, because coastal issues are so complex, access to the best available scientific knowledge is crucial for managing the nation's coasts today. A growing number of agencies and organizations recognize the value of coastal education and training, and while some already provide science-based training, their efforts often lack coordination.
NOAA has responded by establishing nationwide programs aimed at systematic training and education. One such program in NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, the Coastal Training Program, began by asking local officials, planners, regulators and other decision makers what types of scientific and technical information or training they need to make better decisions for their communities. CTP then provides appropriate needs-based training and science-based information whose relevance is enhanced by the place-based nature of the Reserves. In addition to this local, needs-based approach, CTP also responds to agency (NERRS and NOAA) priorities, enabling CTP to play a role at the individual Reserve and community level and also play a role in the larger NOAA vision.
Improving the management and use of coastal resources and services is vital to ensuringthat healthy coastal ecosystems are protected and sustained. In turn, protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems will enhance coastal community resiliency to hazards and climate change, and will ensure that our future needs from these coastal ecosystems are met.
Last Updated on: Monday, September 28, 2009
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