Indicators for the Management of Coastal Lagoons: Sacca di Goro Case Study

In this chapter, a short review of indicators susceptible of accurately reflecting the ecological status and quality of coastal lagoons is first presented. The management of macroalgae harvesting in the Sacca di Goro lagoon is then assessed, providing a bio-economical evaluation for macroalgae removal in relation with clam farming. This study was performed with previously developed models using specific eco-exergy and costs/benefits analysis. Here, costs are associated with the macroalgal biomass harvesting and disposal, whereas benefits result from both the increase of shellfish productivity and the decrease of their mortality due to anoxic crises. For analyzing the ecosystem health we used specific eco-exergy, calculated in terms of biomass of the different biological components of the aquatic ecosystems and its information content. The comparison between both approaches has allowed us to develop a management strategy that aims at improving the ecosystem health and at reducing the economical losses associated with clam mortality during anoxic crises.