Establishing Biosphere Reserves for Coastal Barrier Ecosystems

F ew environments have been so heavily influenced by human activities as coastal barriers. In few systems do ecological dynamics and social-development processes interact more strongly. Despite decades of research that have provided increased understanding of coastal ecosystem processes, the tools and incentives for integrated management of coastal barriers remain to be fully developed. The biosphere-reserve concept can be applied to the problems of coastal barriers. Coastal barriers are prominent features of sedimentary shorelines, such as the east coast of the United States. Coastal barriers include islands, spits, bay barriers, and tombolos that are created and maintained by large-scale interactions of hydrological, geological, and ecological processes. These dynamic environments on the edge of the sea are attractive for development, but they are also hazardous. Past uses and abuses reflect inadequate appreciation for how these ecosystems function. Research has often been fragmented, localized, and short-term. Housing and tourist developments, navigation works, and shoreline stabilization have altered