Lazarow N., Smith T.F, Clarke B.. 2011. Ten Commitments: Reshaping the Lucky Country’s Environment. Ten Commitments: Reshaping the Lucky Country’s Environment.

Aim/objectives: 

Presents ten commitments for improving the management of integrated coastal systems

Geographic Focus: 

Methods: 

Key Findings: 

This book chapter, in line with the theme of the book, outlines ten key commitments for managing coasts. The chapter begins with a general introduction to key aspects and issues of the coastal zone as an integrated social-ecological system. The issues of the coastal zone are defined as broad societal problems with little evidence of positive and sustained change toward improved coastal management. What is being witnessed is a slow and cumulative decline in environmental quality. The ten commitments are proposed as key areas for needed change. The commitments are action-based and presented in a way that promotes both improved understanding of impacts as well as actual responses to these impacts. The local and regional level is seen as critical in leading this response through proactive planning.

Lessons: 

This presentation of ten commitments for improved coastal management essentially provides a framework for the broad question of coastal management practitioners: what are we learning for? The book itself also provides a valuable contribution to the question of why and what coastal practitioners are attempting to learn within the context of improved management of social-ecological systems. As well as being categorised through various ecosystems (e.g. coasts; rivers, wetlands and estuaries etc.), commitments are also suggested for various sectors (e.g. fisheries; tourism etc.), as well as cross-cutting themes (e.g. climate change; water; biodiversity; emergency management; Indigenous land and sea management etc.).