VI-197 



SECTION n. A MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR RESEARCH 

 AND STUDY IN THE ESTUARINE ZONE 



The conflicts over estuarlne use are described and documented 

 earlier In this report. It has been shown that development Is 

 proceeding so rapidly that there will be little left to preserve 

 and conserve unless an effective program of comprehensive manage- 

 ment Is developed and implemented Immediately to protect the 

 desirable natural qualities of estuaries. A comprehensive manage- 

 ment program can succeed only if It Is based on knowledge and 

 understanding of the environment. This knowledge, 1n turn, can 

 be developed only through a program of research and study In the 

 estuarlne zone. The purpose of this Section Is to Identify the 

 principles on which a technical management program of research 

 and study must be based and to propose the Federal and State roles 

 in Implementing such a program. 



PRINCIPLES OF TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT 



The following ten principles underly a program of technical manage- 

 ment. The Implementation 6f these principles constitutes the frame- 

 I work of the proposed program of research and study. 



Ecosystems as Management Units 



Estuarlne resources occur In Interacting complexes. What man 

 does to one resource can and does have significant effects on 

 the others. Estuarlne and coastal areas exist as ecological 



