Asia-Pacific Coasts and Their Management States of Environment

The Asia-Pacific region is home to the world’s largest region of coral reefs and mangroves. It accommodates two-thirds of the world’s human population and its economic activities have the highest growth rate in the world. Ongoing degradation of the environment, resulting from coastal development, deforestation, desertification and over-harvesting, are becoming a matter of great concern, as floods and droughts occur as a result of this degradation. The Asia-Pacific region also includes part of the ‘Pacific Rim of Fire’ and is, therefore, vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, as the world became aware following the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. Threats of global environmental change, such as climate change and sea-level rise, will exacerbate such problems. Therefore, appropriate policies and measures are needed for coastal management, to address both the local and global trends. This book gives an overview of the state-of-the-art understanding on the drivers, state, and responses to coastal environmental changes in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides excellent perspectives on current and anticipated environmental changes in the region’s coastal areas, to researchers, students, policy makers, coastal managers and other stakeholders.

Editor is member of:

- American Society of Civil Engineers

- Coastal Education and Research Foundation

- Japanese Society of Civil Engineers

- Japanese Association for Coastal Studies

- Japanese Geomorphologic Union

Editor is active (board) member of:

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

- International EMECS Center

- Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

- Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy for Global Change

- Global Environmental Change

- Journal of Coastal Change

- Journal of Global Environmental Engineering