Development process and environmental deterioration: the need for a comprehensive coastal zone management system

Abstract

Economic development is a process by which a nation seeks to im- prove the well-being of its population. However, this was not really the case in this country, as prior to 1957, whatever development that became evident was merely incidental, as economic development by the British was solely motivated by profit making for the motherland. Nevertheless, the period saw vast areas of virgin forest lands being converted into large rubber plantations and vast lowland areas in some states being scarred by mining activities. Since Independence, the government has been indulging in various activities through accelerated economic development to correct im- balances in the economy, eradicate poverty, particularly among the rural people, and to generally up-lift the standard of living of the population.