Integration of ecosystem-based tools to support coastal zone management

Over the past decades policy makers have defined new legislative and policy instruments to address coastal ecosystem degradation. It is important to provide coastal managers with scientifically based information with which they may evaluate the performance of previously adopted responses as well future management policies. This implies the use of scientific applications that enable (i) the understanding of ecosystem biogeochemical processes, (ii) interaction of ecosystem's ecological and socio-economic components, and (iii) synthesis and communication of complex outputs to managers. The integration of tools, such as geographic information systems, ecological modeling (of both catchment and coastal systems), economic valuation methods and integrated environmental assessment, can empower coastal managers with a scientific framework for sound decision making. We present a case study reviewing the application of such a set of tools to support management of a coastal lagoon located in the South of Portugal. This ecosystem and its catchment were chosen given the considerable interaction between the ecological and socio-economic systems: on the one hand this coastal zone includes sites of environmental importance recognized by several international conventions and directives and on the other hand it supports several economic activities that represent the main source of employment and income in the region.