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Aquaculture is an important economic activity in the coastal areas of many countries. It offers opportunities to alleviate poverty, boosts employment, helps community development, reduces overexploitation of natural coastal resources, and enhances food security, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Due to the increasing worldwide demand for aquaculture facilities in the marine environment, particularly in developing countries, use non-native or alien species, mainly to reduce costs by using readily-available research and development outputs.

The book you hold in your hands represents a first. Never before has such a compilation and synthesis on protected area management been attempted. Managing Protected Areas: A Global Guide brings together state-of-the-art thinking from around the world on the complex business of managing protected areas.

The Convention on Biological Diversity has been adopted by many countries, resulting in the development of national biodiversity strategies. This illustrates the international recognition of the importance of protecting ecosystems. However, ecosystems still face many threats, some of them growing and spreading so rapidly as to cause irreversible deterioration in many countries and areas. The Biodiversity Synthesis Report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment show many undersireable phenomena such as loss of forest, conversion of terrestrial biomes, extinction of species and so on. This report also describes various ecosystem services, and explains how their changes have affected humans. Furthermore, it proposes international actions to achieve sustainability for future generations.

A report on the proper management of mangroves for resilience to climate change

The evaluation of management effectiveness is generally achieved by the assessment of series of criteria (represented by carefully selected indicators) against agreed objectives or standards. The following definitions refer specifically to the context of protected area management effectiveness.

The need for a management response to mass coral bleaching is now well established. The incidence and severity of mass coral bleaching events has increased continuously over the last two decades. As a result, almost every reef region in the world has now suffered extensive stress or coral mortality. Observations of these past impacts and studies of expected future trends have prompted leading researchers and managers to declare that coral reefs are in crisis. In keeping with this, the scientific community has suggested that the impacts of mass coral bleaching events, in combination with those from chronic local stressors, will largely determine the condition of coral reefs in the next 50 years.

Vulnerability to natural disasters continues to increase, severely compromising the achievement of poverty alleviation goals in many developing countries. A more effective approach is needed to reduce the impacts of these disasters. This publication proposes an approach that integrates ecosystem management, development planning and risk reduction strategies to reduce disaster impacts and improve both livelihoods and biodiversity outcomes.