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Coastal Communities & Economies
National Sea Grant Goals: (1) Strengthen coastal planning through better evaluations of coastal resources and amenities (“natural capital”) and by educating coastal planners and decision makers; (2) stimulate integrated coastal management by constructing frameworks for sustainable development and developing decision-support systems, and (3) contribute to community and economic development by building leadership, supporting the development of science-based ocean, coastal and Great Lakes policies, and revitalizing economically depressed coastal communities.
The continuing economic growth occurring within our nation’s coastal regions stimulates land use change and competing demands for the use of the shoreline. Without sound planning, it is likely that coastal degradation associated with coastal development and urbanization will continue. Sound planning can also help minimize risks to regional economies posed by such natural disasters as hurricanes, storm-driven coastal flooding and dramatic changes in sea level elevations caused by climatic variations. Balancing economic growth and coastal resource quality are important issues for all of the nation’s coastal communities—including those around the Great Lakes.
Wisconsin priorities in this national theme include developing and validating new techniques for economic valuation of Great Lakes resources, and applying geographic information systems (GIS) and other state-of-the-art techniques to improve coastal resources management and educating decision makers in the wise, science-based planning and development of coastal watersheds and shorelands.
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