Government Policies, Economic Development, and Possible Environmental Effects at the Land-Water Interfaces of Guangdong Province, China

Abstract

The coastal zone of South China is characterized by many features that are shared by other developing countries. It is a long-inhabited area with lengthy coastlines, dotted by several modern cities and a large number of fishing ports. Because of heavy population pressure, large demand for food, and the drive to develop modern industries, extensive embankment and reclamation schemes are undertaken, leading to many ecological feedbacks, such as heavy silting of the estuaries, pollution of coastal waters, and depletion of fishery resources nearby. The recent development of offshore oil and gas fields on the continental shelf of the South China Sea has further complicated the issue. On the one hand, one can anticipate rapid economic development along the coast; on the other, there is higher risk of environmental disasters. It is thus necessary to strengthen the present environmental surveillance system and the research effort on the environmental economics of the area.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,