"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put 



it on?" HENRY DAVID THOREAU 



Chapter V 



ENHANCING BENEFITS 

 FROM THE COASTAL ZONE 



The marine environment is usually thought of in terms of the visible 

 sweep of vast ocean, of large gulfs, and of broad bays. The part of that 

 environment which is most accessible, and which man uses most intensively, 

 is the Coastal Zone^ — the margin where land and water meet and interact. 



The Zone includes a broad variety of physical features — ^estuaries, lagoons, 

 wetlands, shoreline beaches of varying widths, cliffs, peninsulas, bays, coastal 

 islands, and off-shore waters on the edges of the seas. The Coastal Zone is 

 also characterized by dynamic interaction of wind, tides, currents, waves, 

 storms — and land; and it supports a rich variety of flora and fauna. The 

 great natural beauty of the shore holds fascination for everyone. Yet this 

 Coastal Zone has values for man other than curiosity and pleasure. 



Thirty states, with more than 75 percent of the Nation's population, are 

 on the coasts of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, or the 

 Great Lakes. More than 45 per cent of our urban population lives 

 directly along the coast, and nine of the 16 largest metropolitan areas are 

 in the Coastal Zone. This population continues to grow and to concentrate — 

 along the East, West, and Gulf Coasts, and the Great Lakes. All of the mega- 

 lopoli now projected for the year 2000 are in the Coastal Zone. 



Shipbuilding, maritime commerce, and the fishing industry could have 

 developed only in the Coastal Zone. The seaward thrust for off-shore oil, 

 gas, and minerals, and our naval strength must be based there. Many 



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