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Preface: Science, Policy, and the Coast

Science, Policy, and the Coast: Improving Decisionmaking

Preface

Coastal areas of the United States and elsewhere face pressures from a variety of sources, both from human activities and from natural fluctuations of the environment. To confront these pressures, the concepts of ecosystem management and sustainable development have become part of national and international discussions about environmental management. Although it is not yet clear how to implement ecosystem management for the sustained use of coastal areas and their resources, one thing is certain: knowledge about coastal environmental and societal processes will be fundamental to any attempt to manage coastal environments in such a way that resources can be sustained and multiple uses accommodated.

The Ocean Studies Board (OSB) is committed to promoting the science necessary for effective coastal policy and has been active in recent years in defining important issues related to natural science in coastal areas. In response to a request from the White House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR), a committee of the OSB conducted a study to provide advice about coastal science topics related to CENR's areas of responsibility. The resulting report, Priorities for Coastal Ecosystem Science (NRC, 1994a), advises the government about what coastal science topics are most important for improving coastal management practices. Another OSB report, Oceanography in the Next Decade: Building New Partnerships, pointed out that:

    Policy decisions concerning . . . interactions of the ocean with everyday life rest upon a sound scientific understanding of the ocean. To the extent that such policy decisions are to be useful, they must be consistent with the best available information about how the system works: its physics, chemistry, geology, and biology. Both the government and the scientific community as a whole must ensure that what is known about the ocean is made available to policy makers, that what is not known is clearly stated, and that progress in furthering our basic understanding continues. (NRC, 1992b, p. 17)

Thus, scientists have an important role and responsibility in working with policymakers to ensure that coastal environmental policies are based solidly on scientific understanding. Carrying out necessary science and using it in coastal policymaking are often difficult. This report, Science, Policy, and the Coast: Improving Decisionmaking, offers advice to all partners in the coastal management and policymaking process to improve the use of science in the management of our coastal waters.

WILLIAM MERRELL

Ocean Studies Board, Chairman

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