Conclusion: What We Have Learned

Abstract

Sustaining healthy coastal ecosystems that provide for people dependent on their goods and services requires good resource management. The research presented in this book can help enhance resource management in the three theme areas, specifically in terms of providing better information on (1) how to value marine and coastal ecosystems, (2) how these values are affected by economic activity in the form of harvesting and land transformation, and (3) the design of institutions to provide for sustainable livelihoods and resources. The papers in this volume also point to research and knowledge gaps and, hence, opportunities to fill them. The book is very much a beginning rather than an end in terms of our understanding of the complexities of our natural environment and how best to ensure that it will continue to provide the essential goods and services that the planet needs to survive.