Inventory of human activities
Known anthropogenic impacts are increasing due to continuing development of coastal areas, but these impacts are often poorly integrated into ecosystem-based management approaches. Coastal development brings with it pollution and contamination, discharge of human wastes, draw-down of coastal fresh water aquifers and subsequent migration of the fresh and salt ground water interface, dredging of channels, disposal of dredged materials, and coastal engineering and infrastructure that affect fisheries and habitats. Affected habitats include salt marshes, submerged aquatic vegetation beds, nearshore embayments, estuaries, and changes in the geological structure of areas. In addition, fishing activities also have impacts on habitats that may lead to slow recovery of ecosystems and the services that they provide.