Lack of coastal development

The development potential of coastal zones includes: fish and products of mariculture for the local population or for export; energy; water; and contributions to land-based agriculture. The conservation of marine life, coastal conservation and the control of marine pollution assume great importance in this context.

Lack of effective exploitation of island developing countries coastal zones, including reefs, increases the need for imports and decreases food security; and lack of integration of marine space utilization and sea resources into national development strategies affects a large number of sectoral roles, such as agriculture, energy and environmental management. In many areas of great potential importance to the self-reliant development of island developing countries, such as mariculture, polyculture, energy and coastal transport, development efforts may well take a decade or more to ripen into substantial value-adding and other economic gains.