Lakes, wetlands and coastal regions provide essential services critical to the survival of human, wildlife and, by and large, the ecosystems, which are constantly threatened by anthropogenic activities, environmental degradation and climate change. Marine resources, particularly mangroves and corals, are vulnerable to coastal developments, including coastal reclamation, and human settlements that discharge large quantities of wastes into the seas. Climate change impacts, such as increased salt intrusion and sea level rise, may additionally induce regime shifts detrimental to these delicate ecosystems. And the warmer climate has increased the frequency, duration and intensity of catastrophic coastal disturbances, implicating profound uncertainty to the sustainability of coastal infrastructures and resources essential for human populations.This book is written for students, researchers and practitioners pursuing teaching and research related to sustainable development, and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). It provides a unique approach on sustainable development, viewed from the perspectives of providing solutions via model simulation, to solve sustainable development issues related to human population growth, and impacts due to climate change. It provides the scientific knowledge and technical skills necessary to achieve valuable insights for mitigating the predicted adverse impacts and for developing sustainable development strategies, incorporating climate and environmental adaptations.

Often a commitment to large ecosystem initiatives is linked both conceptually and legally with requirements for ecological monitoring as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of management actions. Programs to determine ecosystem status and trends can contribute significantly to the resolution of difficult and contentious management questions, and can playa key role both in sharpening the focus of research questions and in developing adaptive approaches to resource management. Monitoring Ecosystems brings together leading scientists and researchers to offer a groundbreaking synthesis of lessons learned about ecological monitoring in major ecoregional initiatives around the United States. Contributors-Donald L. DeAngelis, Lance H. Gunderson, Barry R. Noon, John C. Ogden, Craig J. Palmer, Keith M. Reynolds, Paul L. Ringold, John R. Sauer, Lawrence E. Stevens, and many others-present insights and experiences gained from their work in designing, developing, and implementing comprehensive ecosystem monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest, the lower Colorado River Basin, and the Florida Everglades. The book: outlines the conceptual and scientific underpinnings for regional-scale ecosystem monitoring, examines the role and importance of data management, modeling, and integrative analyses, considers techniques for and experience with monitoring habitats, populations, and communities Chapters by the editors synthesize and expand on points made throughout the volume and present recommendations for establishing frameworks for monitoring across scales, from local to international. Monitoring Ecosystems presents a critical examination of the lessons learned from direct experience along with generalized conclusions that canbe applied to monitoring programs in the United States and around the world. It is a vital contribution to science-based monitoring efforts thatwill allow those responsible for developing and implementing ecoregional initiatives to make use of knowledge gained in previous efforts, enabling them to focus their energies on system-specific questions and problems.