11-70 



MANAGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE 



A great deal of technical and socioeconomic knowledae 1s neces- 

 sary to support a comprehensive program of estuarine management. 

 This knowledge must be supplied through multidisciplinary efforts. 

 The knowledge thus developed must include: (1) knowledge and under- 

 standing of the biological, physical, and chemical factors of the 

 estuarine zone, (2) knowledge of the institutional framework gov- 

 erning each portion of the estuarine zone, (3) knowledge of the 

 demographic, social, and economic factors and their trends, (4) 

 establishment of goals and uses so that future studies can be 

 relevantly oriented, and (5) an augmentation and synthesis of all 

 this knowledge. 



The available pertinent information on these subjects has been 

 gathered, organized, and coordinated into the National Estuarine 

 Inventory. This compilation revealed many areas in which informa- 

 tion is poor or is lacking; some can be obtained by careful, rou- 

 tine monitorinn of the estuarine environment. The acguisition of 

 other knowledge reguires an inteqrated, multidisciplinary research 

 and study Droqram. 



The most important knowledge to be gained is an understanding of 

 the estuarine environment adequate to permit the recognition and 

 interpretation of interrelationships which, in turn, provides the 

 capability to predict the effects of natural and human activities 



