Appropriate Sanitation And Integrated Coastal Management: An Ecologically-Based Human Waste Treatment System For Coastal Settlements On The Bahia De Navidad, Jalisoc State, Mexico

In this paper we present an overview of the global sanitation crisis and how it increasingly affects the planet\u27s heavily populated coastal zone. We note that the scarcity of water in many nations that do not have adequate sanitation infrastructure will forever preclude their adoption of the Western standard. We investigate alternatives to, in our view, a vastly wasteful conventional flush-and-discharge system, and how better engineered solutions can save water, enrich soil and contribute to the mitigation of global warming. Finally, we describe how this technology is being used in an integrated coastal zone management project on Mexico\u27s Pacific Coast in an effort to protect the richness of the area\u27s ocean bay and adjacent estuary, restore its freshwater lagoon and provide a model for other coastal areas likely to experience explosive tourism-generated growth in the future