ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. It introduces the importance and uniqueness of the world's coastal areas. The book discusses the elements of recent developments in coastal management. The book provides the justification for the inclusion of the potential future development of coastal management. To a large extent, the definition of the coastal zone depends upon the purpose for which the definition is intended. From both management and scientific viewpoints, the extent of the coastal zone will vary according to the nature of the management issue. The main purpose of the coastal zone definition is to define coastal lands and waters for controlling heavy industry, thus it is important that the chosen definition is clearly understood both by policy stakeholders and regulators. Hybrid definitions mix one type of coastal definition for the landward limit of the coastal area and another for the seaward limit.
