Land erosion caused by sea-level rise does not undermine Small Island Developing States (SIDS)' statehood or the enjoyment of maritime entitlements, but threatens their land-based territorial functions and the exercise of those entitlements. In response to these challenges, SIDS have adopted a range of measures across three dimensions of law, management, and science and technology. While SIDS have made considerable efforts to preserve land-based territorial functions and ensure the continued exercise of maritime entitlements, further improvements remain achievable. In particular, existing legal measures could be further strengthened through better internal coordination. As for management measures, coastal protection measures are constrained by high costs and ecological impacts, while resettlement would benefit from a more systematic approach. The scientific and technological capacity of SIDS is constrained by funding and skills shortages. Therefore, SIDS could pursue the integrated application and systematic improvement of these three categories of measures. With regard to legal measures, constitutional provisions and special laws, complemented by soft law, could ensure internal legal coherence. With regard to management measures, priority could be given to cost-effective nature-based solutions and systematic resettlement strategies. With regard to science and technology, SIDS could leverage the Ocean Decade to secure more financial and technical support. These diversified pathways could offer a comprehensive response to the challenges posed by sea-level rise.
Destination websites provide information to visitors about local attractions, events, amenities, and businesses. However, it is unclear how much websites for coastal tourism inform tourists about coastal hazards and safety threats they may be exposed to while visiting. Prior research related to tourism knowledge of local hazards found that tourists tended to be less aware of hazards and what actions they should take to respond to them. In this study, we examine the information provided on thirty-seven official destination websites for cities and regions on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast. This coastal area is exposed to a variety of hazards from common beach threats such as rip currents, and low-frequency, high-impact hazards including earthquakes and tsunamis. For each website, we conducted a systematic text content analysis for content related to coastal hazards and weather conditions. A majority of websites (68%) had at least some information related to weather, whereas less than half of websites (35%) had information related to coastal hazards with the most frequently described coastal hazards being sneaker waves and tides. Based on our findings, we recommend that comprehensive coastal hazard information be a key component of destination websites to help visitors better prepare for coastal hazard risks.
Globally, oceans are becoming increasingly acidic and hypoxic due to anthropogenic carbon emissions increasing atmospheric CO2, much of which is absorbed by the ocean. Recent research demonstrates that wastewater discharges, particularly in densely populated regions with large wastewater treatment plants, exacerbate ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH). Excess nutrients contained in treated wastewater amplify OAH processes, negatively impacting marine life. In the United States, state and federal agencies have the authority to manage nutrient levels in treated sewage in order to protect marine ecosystems. This study includes a compilation of data on OAH and wastewater inputs across key areas-biological thresholds, wastewater plant data, treatment technology options, and policy recommendations-to provide guidance to regulators in reducing excess nutrients that contribute to OAH. A series of steps provided to coastal managers focuses on wastewater discharge as a concrete example of how to translate an emerging scientific understanding into a concrete policy and regulatory recommendation. Wastewater discharges that cause or contribute to OAH conditions in ocean-receiving waters have infrequently been regulated to reduce or eliminate impacts despite the efficacy of increasingly common treatment technologies. With a focus on the California Current Ecosystem (CCE), this study recommends implementing more stringent wastewater treatment plant regulations by moving to technology-based standards to limit nitrogen concentrations in treated sewage discharged off the coast. If implemented, these limitations would minimize wastewater contributions to OAH and reduce its harmful impacts, safeguarding coastal ecosystems and economies. The nutrient management framework outlined here can be replicated nationally using the Clean Water Act framework, or internationally using a similar regulatory framework. Sewage effluent discharges and overflows to the ocean occur in all coastal states and territories, and mitigating these nutrient contributions is a management issue for all coastal managers. In this study, we present a nutrient management framework that can be integrated into regional and national strategies to help coastal regions mitigate OAH impacts on marine ecosystems.
This paper explores how coastal development decisions are made, using case studies from the UK nations of England, Wales and Scotland. Through analyzing three decision-making processes - Southsea Coastal Defence Scheme (England), Sullom Voe Harbor Area Masterplan (Shetland, Scotland) and The Welsh National Marine Plan (Wales) - claims of transparency, accountability and justice related to the processes through which the marine and coastal environment is governed are explored along with the challenges inherent in managing complex socio-spatial environments. Our thematic analysis aligns with the Aarhus convention, with a focus on procedural justice related to marine and coastal management decisions. We use the Aarhus convention as a framework to critique the processes, evidenced within the publicly available grey literature pertaining to the cases, revealing insights into the need to reconsider how the processes themselves have been developed and whether they are as transparent and accessible as required, to achieve equitable outcomes. Our findings assert the need for coastal and marine managers to explore ways to increase "process literacy" - which we introduce as a concept and approach for increasing justice within decision-making and align with the environmental democratic requirements of the Aarhus Convention - through first reflecting on their own knowledge of the wider governance systems within which their decision-making occurs. This capacity building would allow for more democratic and accountable decision-making and provide increased confidence in undertaking meaningful public engagement on coastal environmental management. Specific recommendations are made for enhancing decision-making in the UK context but also have wider application for public engagement in environmental management for marine, coastal and terrestrial regulators around the world.
