The quality, quantity and pulsing of fresh water to riverine and coastal ecosystems are influenced by water management decisions and the effects of land based sources of pollution. These choices have an impact on human uses, estuaries and the ecological functioning of nearshore waters that are vital concerns of coastal managers. Reducing the quantity or availability of fresh water or creating contaminated flows of water into coastal ecosystems produces benefits for a few sectors or users at the expense of many others.
CRC is working in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, The Nature Conservancy and others to address this global challenge. Click here to link to the Guide to Managing Freshwater Inflows to Estuaries, and access related documents and information sources. View a video of authors Brian Richter and Stephen Olsen, along with USAID's Richard Volk discussing the issue and presenting a summary of their proposed strategy at the Woodrow Wilson Center as part of its ongoing series "Fishing for a Secure Future".
This section links to a practical Guide developed through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Agency for International Development. It addresses the need to better integrate river and catchment (watershed) management with estuary management. The chapters are available in text and PDF formats.
Cases from coastal watersheds feature information from two locations where the TNC-CRC-USAID project developed the methods described the Guide. This section also highlights noteworthy examples of an integrated approach taken by projects and programs carried out in the U.S. and several other countries.This page presents materials on geographic areas featuring the cases developed in the TNC-CRC-USAID project as well as from coastal management plans and special area management plans from the U.S. and other countries.
This section offers links to general interest websites mentioned in the TNC-CRC-USAID project, including initiatives addressing the governance aspects of integrated coastal and water resources management, institutions addressing coastal and water issues, online books, journals and data sources and education and training materials.
There is a pressing need to integrate how rivers, catchments (watersheds) and estuaries are managed by combining important features of coastal management (ICM) with water resources management (IWRM). This section sets out the key reasons why.