Managing coastal environments

Coastal environments are by their nature ever-changing. This free course, Managing coastal environments, looks at the example of the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England, describing how the current state of the estuary came to be. It examines the contests and conflicts that centre on the estuary in terms of managing the environment for human needs and the needs of the other species who make their habitat there.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 An estuary – where the elements meet
• 1 An estuary – where the elements meet
• 1.1 The Blackwater estuary
• 1.2 A balancing act: conservation and sustainable development
• 1.3 Managing environmental risks and uncertainties
• 2 Environmental responses
• 2 Environmental responses
• 2.1 Managing risk in conditions of uncertainty
• 2.2 Change and response in the ‘meadows of the sea’
• 2.3 Climate change: survival at stake
• Conclusion
• References
• Acknowledgements