Environmental research, policy and regulation: The Chesapeake Bay experience

Current efforts to manage the environmental impacts of human activities tend to focus on symptoms of environmental stress rather than on underlying causes. Given the need to “act now”, a distinction must be made between short-term, tactical responses to indicators of stress and long-term, strategic solutions based on a theoretically sound understanding of ecosystems and the role of the human species in ecosystems. The formulation of environmental policy and management plans for coastal seas must be based on information generated by environmental research that is independent of government agencies responsible for policy and management and special interest groups that have environmental agendas. Using Chesapeake Bay as an example, we discuss (1) the relevance of independent research to coastal seas' governance and (2) the importance of clearly defined roles and relationships among research institutions and government agencies.