The Monster Of The Venice Lagoon: Humans, Policy, Or Ecology?

This Major Research Paper analyzes the degree to which management frameworks governing the Venice Lagoon work to protect the various ecosystem functions that lie within it, and uses interviews with stakeholders such as academics, economists, and advocates to understand how they feel about the effectiveness of these frameworks and the future of the lagoon. A policy review of prominent governing documents, frameworks, and authorities in the region identified multiple gaps in both resource management and a general understanding of the ecosystem. Interviews with stakeholders demonstrated that the threats the lagoon faces are not limited to morphological or ecological changes to the system and mismanagement; there are numerous social, political and economic, relationships that are deeply intertwined. These components are so contentious that attempts to protect the lagoon are paralyzed by the need to first address the institutional disarray. It is then argued that until discussion amongst all stakeholders occurs, and a common objective for the state of the Venice Lagoon is realized, efforts to protect and effectively manage the system using current frameworks are futile.