A composite indicator to assess artificialization at the land-sea interface: A case study in NW Spain

Abstract

Coastal zones are under high human pressure worldwide leading to their progressive degradation, eroding the essential ecosystem services they provide. In this paper, we present a composite artificialization indicator as a tool to effectively monitor and assess the state of the land-ocean interface. Unlike standard coastal indicators, the artificialization indicator tested in this study considers, apart from imperviousness, three additional components: connectivity, grade of attraction and metabolism. The first two components of the indicator were derived from a detailed land use/land cover (LULC) database generated through manual photo interpretation. Based on this LULC database, a panel of experts attributed the values of the last two components. The indicator also considers the presence of natural protected areas. Our results demonstrate that the proposed composite artificialization indicator allows retrieving the different artificialization patterns observed in the territory. It could be adapted to different coastal zones, becoming a helpful tool to be implemented in two phases of the planning procedure: in a preliminary analysis, as a status indicator, or in an advanced phase as a validator indicator. It could also assess the effectiveness of existing policy instruments.