Conclusion |
Research: Coastal Eutrophication
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In conclusion, whereas our understanding of coastal eutrophication has progressed in parallel with efforts to reduce nutrient inputs to coastal ecosystems, major challenges are still ahead of us in the development of a refined understanding that allows prediction of the dynamics of coastal ecosystems subject to simultaneous changes in nutrient inputs and other global forcing factors that lead to a continuous shift in baselines. Most importantly, we must urgently resume a dialog with managers and legislators that more humbly acknowledges the complexities of the problem and the limitations of our capacity to predict the trajectories of managed coastal ecosystems. We must develop a new vision of the effectiveness of efforts to mitigate eutrophication that focuses not only on the changes relative to the initial conditions, but also on the benefits relative to a ‘do nothing’ policy. Realization of the difficulties of reversing eutrophication, owing to the multiple mechanism that lead to a resistance of coastal ecosystems to reverse the eutrophied state once entered, must also reinforce policies and efforts to avoid eutrophication, the costs of which are likely to be far lower than those of remedial actions.