Growing pressure from increasingly diverse human activities coupled with climate change impacts threaten the functional integrity of coastal ecosystems around the globe. A multi-disciplinary approach towards understanding drivers, pressures and impacts in the coastal zone requires effective integration of data and information in policy and management, combining expertise from nature and social science, to reach a balanced and sustainable development of the coastal zone.

This important book comprises the proceedings of The International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, which took place in Arendal, Norway between 3-7 July 2011. The main objective of the Symposium was to present current knowledge and to address issues on advice and management related to the coastal zone. The major themes of papers included in this book are:

• Coastal habitats and ecosystem services
• Adaptation/mitigation to change in coastal systems
• Coastal governance
• Linking science and management

Comprising a huge wealth of information, this timely and well-edited volume is essential reading for all those involved in coastal zone management around the globe. All libraries in research establishments and universities where marine, aquatic and environmental sciences, and fisheries and aquatic sciences are studied and taught will need copies of this important volume on their shelves.

Erlend Moksness is Research Director at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Norway. His background is in recruitment in marine fish, fish ageing, stock enhancement of marine fishes, and aquaculture of marine fishes.

Einar Dahl is the head of the Coastal Zone Ecosystem Programme at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Norway. His research has mainly been on harmful phytoplankton species. More recently he has been working with coastal zone ecology in a broader perspective.

Josianne Støttrup is a Senior Scientist and Head of Coastal Ecology at the National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua, previously Danish Institute for Fisheries Research). Her research focus has been on marine larval nutrition initially, but evolved to coastal juvenile fish habitats, flatfish ecology and more recently to integrated coastal management.