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Urbanization

Crisis on the coasts

The closer the seas come to people, the greater is the damage. Ill-planned (and often unplanned) coastal development is one of the main driving forces behind the environmental problems of the oceans. Apart from overfishing, the greatest harm is caused by what we do on land -- and particularly at the coasts -- rather than at sea. […]

The crisis is deepest where the waters are shallowest. It is here that pollution is at its worst, habitats are most readily destroyed, and much of the depletion of fisheries takes place. [..]More and more of the narrow strip of land along the world’s coasts -- and its habitats -- has been ruined by a host of poorly planned and badly regulated activities, from the explosive growth of coastal cities and towns to the increase in tourism, from industrialisation to the expansion of fish farming, from the development of ports to measures taken to try to control flooding. The pressures are particularly exacerbated along the coasts of many developing countries, where rapid population growth combines with persistent poverty, and there is little capacity to manage the situation. But developed country coastlines are often overdeveloped too, as people and businesses demand ocean-front properties.