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Governance and the Gulf of Mexico coast: How are current policies contributing to sustainability?
Citation:
Jordan, Steve AND W. Benson. Governance and the Gulf of Mexico coast: How are current policies contributing to sustainability? Sustainability. MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, 5:4688-4705, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
Invited article for a special issue of Sustainability, "Government Policy and Sustainability." The article explores government policies and governance structures as they pertain to Gulf of Mexico coastal resources.
Description:
The quality of life and economies of coastal communities depend to a great degree on the ecological integrity of coastal ecosystems. Paradoxically, as more people are drawn to the coasts, these ecosystems and the services they provide are increasingly stressed by development and human use. Employing the coastal Gulf of Mexico as an example, we explore through three case studies how government policies contribute to preventing, mitigating, or exacerbating the degradation of coastal ecosystems. We consider the effectiveness of the current systems, what alternate or additional policy solutions might be needed to ensure the sustainability of the region and its quality of life, and what this example can tell us about the sustainability of coastal systems globally. In our examples, among other aspects, policies that are proactive and networked governance structures are observed to favor sustainable outcomes, in contrast to reactive policies and hierarchical models of governance.
URLs/Downloads:
Governance and the Gulf of Mexico coast: How are current policies contributing to sustainability?