1. Introduction
Most of the Earth’s living resources are found in
specific geographical locations such as the global
coastal environment and the catchment basins of large
river systems. Furthermore, more than 3 billion people
live in close proximity to these regions and are
dependent upon it for either part or much of their
food supply and industrial raw materials. The consequence
of this situation is that much of the waste, both
industrial and domestic, and various other types of
ecosystem change and habitat destruction generated
by the human population, occur in those areas that are
of greatest biological and economic significance and
are likely to impact on quality of life