Addressing the links between science and the real world with a sound scientific baseline, Coastal Water Bodies targets researchers of various disciplines whose interest lies in the integrated sustainable management of coastal water bodies. The main topic of this book is not the ecology according to its accepted meaning, but rather the ¿places and people¿ concerned ¿ the coastal zones of the Mediterranean that are rich in ecological value and the local people who survive thanks to these environmental resources.


Integration is the joint consideration of different aspects of water uses and values, and new ways of understanding and managing conflicts around water use are needed if people are to benefit from integration. Sustainability of the ecological and socioeconomic environments requires a climate in which conflicts, if they need to exist, are properly managed in a non-destructive manner.

Addressing the links between science and the real world with a sound scientific baseline, Coastal Water Bodies targets researchers of various disciplines whose interest lies in the integrated sustainable management of coastal water bodies. The main topic of this book is not the ecology according to its accepted meaning, but rather the 'places and people' concerned - the coastal zones of the Mediterranean that are rich in ecological value and the local people who survive thanks to these environmental resources.

1. Mediterranean Coastal Areas at Risk Between Conservation and Development.- 1.1 Issues of the Mediterranean Coastal Zone and the Challenge of Integration.- 1.2 The WADI Project Approach.- 1.3 Nature and Culture Conflicts at Study-site Level.- 1.4 Shared Expertise and Policy Making.- 1.5 Lessons Learnt from the WADI Experience.- 1.6 References.- 2. Wetland Socioeconomy: The Case of Lake Maryut (Egypt).- 2.1 Conceptual Framework.- 2.2 The WADI Experience on Maryut Study Site.- 2.3 What Should Be Done? 2.4 Reference.- 3. Integration of the Gender Dimension Into Socio-economic Analysis.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Results: From the Case Studies to an Overall Perspective.- 3.3 Common Issues.- 3.4 Common Driving Forces.- 3.5 Lessons Learnt in a Wider Perspective.- 3.6 References.- 4. Environmental Conflicts and Conflict Management: Some Lessons from the WADI Experience at El Hondo Nature Park (Southeastern Spain).- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Background on Conflict and Conflict Analysis.- 4.3 The Importance of Defining `Conflict¿.- 4.4 The Central Role of Conflicts in the Rationale of WADI.- 4.5 Narratives as Necessary Results of WADI.- 4.6 El Hondo as a Conflictive Site: Science and Integrated Science and the Reframing of Conflicts: Two Illustrative Cases.- 4.7 WADI in the Boxing Ring of El Hondo: Testing the Role of Integrated Research in Re-framing of Conflicts.- 4.8 References.- 5. Soil Salinisation in the Grosseto Plain (Maremma, Italy): An Environmental and Socio-economic Analysis of the Impact on the Agro-ecosystem.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 The Grosseto Plain: A Recent Landscape with an Age-old History.- 5.3 The Agricultural Structure of the Grosseto Plain.- 5.4 Salinity Hazard in the Grosseto Plain.- 5.5 Soil Salinisation and Agronomic Management of the Irrigated Land of Maremma.- 5.6 References.- 6. Evolution, Impacts and Management of the Wetlands of the Grosseto Plain,Italy.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Origins and Evolution of the Grosseto Plain.- 6.3 Diaccia Botrona Provincial Nature Reserve.- 6.4 The Maremma Regional Park.- 6.5 The Other Coastal Wetlands of the 'Maremma Wetland Complex'.- 6.6 General Considerations on Management Strategies and Conclusions.- 6.7 References.- 7. The Ombrone Delta and the Two Chief Systems of the World Today: Environmentalist and Economicist.- 7.1 The Occasion: How Geographers Have Studied the Ombrone Delta.- 7.2 The Construction: How the `Park¿ Has Formed.- 7.3 The Alienation: How Society Has Forgotten Nature.- 7.4 The Infatuation: How the Sentimental Animalism Has Asserted Itself.- 7.5 The Discrimination: How the Antithesis Between Protected and Not Protected Areas Has Been Imposed.- 7.6 The Mystification: How Scientific Data on Climate Change Have Become a Trendy Bias.- 7.7 The Subornation: How Scientific Data on the Environment Have Become a Political Passkey.- 7.8 The Falsification: How Scientific Data on the Environment Have Become an Economical Deceit.- 7.9 The Suggestion: How To Appreciate the Historical and Literary Antecedents of Environmentalism.- 7.10 The Conversion: How Suggestive the Philosophical Roots of Environmentalism Are.- 7.11 The Confusion: How Environmentalism and Economicism Eventually Merge.- 7.12 The Camouflage: How To Go Back to the Story of the Delta and the Park.- 7.13 The Revelation: How Environmentalism Can Exploit Religion Too.- 7.14 The Resignation: How Not To Deceive Oneself.- 7.15 References.- Index.