Toward a National Agenda for Research in the Coastal Zone: Where Are We?

In response to the complex challenges of understanding and managing the effects of human activities on coastal ecosystems, the research establishment has produced a plethora of reports and implemented a bewildering array of government-sponsored research and monitoring programs that are not cost-effective on regional or national scales. Consequently, the gap between national needs and the capacity of the nation's research institutions to respond is growing rapidly, and environmental policies are ambiguous at a time when coastal habitats and living resources are being lost or degraded at accelerating rates. A case is made that a grassroots effort is needed to develop cost-effect programs that are responsive to both local needs and national priorities.