Human Responses To Coastal Change in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

As coasts have changed in the past-for whatever reason-this shift has commonly elicited a response from local inhabitants. Clearly the nature of the human response depends on both the nature and the magnitude of the change. Swifter and more profound changes, such as tsunami or tropical-cyclone (typhoon) effects, will generally have more immediate impacts on affected coastal populations. In contrast, a slower change of temperature, sea level, or even urbanization, for example, may produce only slow or delayed change as a human system's natural resilience absorbs short-term stresses. The introductory section of Chapter 6 looks at the overall picture of human-environment interactions in the Asia-Pacific region. The section moves from the context of modern interaction- by far the most visible imprint on most coasts in this region- in section 6.1.1, through a discussion of early (section 6.1.2), late Holocene (section 6.1.3), and modern (section 6.1.4) interactions, to a brief consideration of future interactions (section 6.1.5). This chapter then goes on to describe the changes that took place along Asia-Pacific coasts within the period of human occupation (section 6.2) and to examine how humans responded to coastal changes (section 6.3). Section 6.4 highlights thematic and geographic areas that have been the focus of research and identifies research gaps. Finally, section 6.5 suggests research priorities for the future.