To address degradation of the marine environment, it is important to also consider and incorporate the impacts of land-based activities along the coast and also further inland. Activities that occur many miles inland can have an effect not only in coastal areas, but also far out at sea. Examples of these impacts include salt water intrusion into historically freshwater areas, nutrient over-enrichment, and changes in sedimentation patterns. To preserve overall ecosystem integrity, it is imperative to link management measures regarding oceans and coasts to the management of river basins and watersheds. Discussions of freshwater management and oceans management, however, typically take place separately in different forums. It is important to address the challenge of linking freshwater to coasts and oceans from a new collaborative perspective that examines how decision-making and institutional development from both upstream and downstream management could be reconciled at international, regional, national and sub-national levels.
