Coastal Spatial Planning Research Articles

The practice and innovation of compatible marine utilization models in China

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is essential for optimizing marine resources allocation and resolving conflicts in sea use, but it is challenged by the complex and multi-functional nature of maritime resources. This study utilizes participatory methods, inductive reasoning, and overlay analysis to explore both theoretical and practical aspects of compatible marine utilization models. The paper begins by clarifying the logic of compatible sea use through marine functional zoning and identifying its core characteristics: quantity, spatial conflict, and impacts on natural attributes. Building on China’s national territorial spatial planning reforms and practical experiences, the paper introduces three major categories of compatible marine use models: development sequencing compatibility, spatial coexistence compatibility, and functional synergy compatibility. A compatibility discrimination matrix is developed to assess these models across different marine functional areas. Combined with the compatibility discrimination results, taking the marine and coastal spatial planning of Yantai City in China as a case study, the paper analyzes the compatibility demands and planning strategies within various marine functional areas. Finally, it evaluates the risks associated with each compatibility model and proposes targeted control strategies tailored to the specific features of each model and characteristics of sea use activities. The research findings highlight the positive role of compatible sea use models in promoting marine economic development, enhancing spatial efficiency, and mitigating sea use conflicts. However, these models also present varying potential risks, necessitating differentiated control strategies aligned with legal frameworks and specific sea use activities. The study offers valuable insights for MSP and contributes to the efficient utilization of marine resources and the advancement of marine spatial governance.

Analysis Of Mangrove Land Cover In The Sawo Marine Conservation Area, North Nias District

Sawo sub-district of North Nias Regency has a mangrove ecosystem that has been designated as a Regional Marine Conservation Area (KKLD) with an area of 29,230.85 ha. The 2005 earthquake and tsunami are reported to have caused damage to mangrove ecosystems due to rising land levels. The increase in land surface has resulted in the destruction of mangroves in this area. This has an impact on the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem in this region and is important to study. The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in mangrove land cover after the tsunami in 2006 to 2022 and to analyze the impact of changes in mangrove land cover. The results found that mangrove land cover continues to experience a reduction in area, in 2006 an area of 139.78 ha and continues to decline until the remaining 70.87 ha in 2022. This is due to the increasing population growth that causes mangrove forest degradation and land conversion into agricultural land, plantations and infrastructure. The increase in population is a driving force, land clearing for settlements and plantations is a pressure factor (Pressures), land use change is a factor of existing conditions (State), reduced mangrove land area is part of the impact (Impact) and coastal spatial planning, counseling to reforestation is a response (Response). Land conversion to other uses is a contributing factor to the continued loss of mangrove land in this area.Keywords: Mangrove, Land cover, GIS, DPSIR

Flood assessment using machine learning and its implications for coastal spatial planning in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was the development of a new machine learning model using a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) to build flood susceptibility maps and damage assessment for the Phu Yen province of Vietnam. The built model will be optimized by five algorithms, namely Giant Trevally Optimization (GTO), Golden Jackal Optimization (GJO), Brown-Bear Optimization (BBO), Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO), and Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) to find out the best model to establish the flood susceptibility map. These models were evaluated using the statistical indices such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), receiver operating characteristic (ROC), area under the curve (AUC), and coefficient of determination (COD). The result showed that all five optimization algorithms were successfully improving the performance of the RBFNN model, among them the hybrid model RBFNN–BBO has the highest performance with AUC = 0.998 and R2 = 0.8 and the RBFNN–GTO model has the lowest performance with AUC = 0.755 and R2 = 0.65. The regions identified with a high- and very-high flood susceptibility area (1,075 km2) were concentrated on the plain and along three of the largest rivers in Phu Yen province.

The Impact of Mangrove Forest Land Conversion on the Sustainability of Biological Resources and the Environment of Tanjung Luar Village

Mangrove forests and coastal forests are green belts in coastal areas that have ecological and socio-economic functions. The main ecosystem in coastal areas is mangroves, which not only have economic value but also have great value for the environment. Tanjung Luar village, Keruak sub-district currently still really needs more attention and is still in the development stage, because most of the mangrove forests in the Tanjung Luar area have been converted into residential areas, shrimp ponds and salt ponds. This research aims to determine the impact of mangrove forest land conversion on the sustainability of biological resources and the environment of Tanjung Luar Village by reviewing environmental protection and management based on the environmental protection and management law. This research uses normative empirical research methods. The research results show that the impact of the conversion of mangrove forest land results in an imbalance in the marine ecosystem and has a direct impact on the community, especially people who earn a living as fishermen. Efforts that can be made to overcome this are by reforesting and reorganizing coastal spatial planning by involving the government, fisheries and marine services and the general public. Many cases of environmental pollution and damage are caused by human activities such as air pollution, water pollution, land pollution and forest damage which ultimately harm humans. Realizing the importance of living necessities and the high dependence on natural resources such as mangroves, a solution is needed to combine ecological, economic and socio-cultural aspects so that they are sustainable and thus support sustainable development programs. Several efforts that can be made to restore condition of mangrove forests are by involving the community to get involved directly. Such as conducting socialization on the importance of the negative impacts of environmental pollution, especially for the forest environment and the importance of mangroves for the sustainability of marine ecosystems and starting to replant mangrove forests which had previously been converted into residential areas by moving people who inhabit coastal areas with guaranteed compensation in the form of new settlements.

Benefits and approaches of incorporating land–sea interactions into coastal spatial planning: evidence from Xiamen, China

As the land–sea interface, the coastal zone has become an increasingly key life-support system. However, it is also highly threatened by exposure to both ocean- and land-based human activities. The interdependencies of the land and sea systems require the integration of land and sea spatial planning to achieve sustainable development of coastal zones. There are different forms of land–sea spatial management integration globally. Whether a form can positively impact and how different institutional settings affect outcomes need further explanation. Therefore, this study explores the reasons for China’s planning integration through institutional reform by using the Graph Model for Conflicts Resolution and establishes a quantitative contradiction assessment method to examine whether this top-down institutional approach has played a role at the urban level. The results show that the planning of Xiamen city after reform has a lower total contradiction value, grid cell average and cell maximum value. This progress is made possible by unifying the land–sea spatial planning departments. The equilibrium solution of the Graph Model for Conflicts Resolution indicates that due to the different preferences of the land–sea management departments and the central-local governments, it is challenging to implement the Land–sea Coordination policy under separate land–sea management. By integrating land–sea management departments, deep-seated sectoral interests between horizontal departments do not remain. The impacts on integrated management of divergences in preferences of different vertical governments can be reduced. The research results provide a universal method for the contradiction evaluation and a management reference for other regions that want to integrate land–sea coordination into urban spatial planning.

Assessment of Coastal Cultural Ecosystem Services and Well-Being for Integrating Stakeholder Values into Coastal Planning

Coastal areas provide ecosystem services (ES), including a wide range of cultural ecosystem services (CES). This study aims to operationalize the ES approach for integrated assessment and mapping of coastal CES through the case of the eastern Baltic Sea coast in Latvia. It explores an interdisciplinary approach to enhance coastal planning, leveraging the strengths of plural disciplines to ensure a more holistic representation of coastal CES. A set of methods and techniques from landscape ecology (e.g., landscape characterization, quality assessment, biophysical mapping) and social sciences (participatory GIS, stakeholder engagement events, nationwide survey) are developed and tested, particularly demonstrating links and correlations between landscape character and CES values and well-being dimensions. The results illuminate the main perceived well-being benefits that people gain from the coastal areas, highlighting the different perspectives of stakeholders. Finally, the integrated assessment results helped to construct proposals for sustainable tourism development in the area. The outcomes of the study are intended to assist planners and decision-makers in evaluating the potential for development and trade-offs in coastal regions. This research contributes to the advancement of coastal spatial planning methodologies, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement and ES assessment for informed decision-making.

Development and reform of marine spatial planning in China under the new territorial spatial planning system

Over the last two decades, countries worldwide have become increasingly aware of the potential of marine space, which has led to a significant development in marine spatial planning (MSP) and the proliferation of studies and practical exploration of MSP issues. In China, MSP is undergoing a new series of reforms. Despite discussions in the academic community on the methods and mechanisms of MSP, issues related to planning, system designs, and implementation priorities for the next stage of MSP in China remain unresolved. This study describes the multiplan integration characterization of MSP in China. It intends to address these issues by presenting a potential MSP system and defining the specific contents and tools that need to be applied to coastal spatial planning (CSP). CSP will be at the core of MSP in China in the future.

Tata Ruang Pesisir Bantul dalam Perspektif Keistimewaan DIY

This research investigates the coastal spatial planning of Bantul Regency, which is known for its features in geographical, cultural and socio-economic aspects. Bantul Regency faces a number of challenges, including serious coastal erosion, climate change, and the preservation of local cultural values. This research aims to identify holistic solutions that can combine coastal erosion mitigation, adaptation to climate change, and cultural heritage preservation in coastal area management. This research involves collecting geospatial data, abrasion susceptibility analysis, interviews with local stakeholders, and the use of geographic information systems (GIS). The research results show that handling coastal abrasion can be integrated with broader adaptation strategies to climate change. In addition, community involvement in decision making and implementation of coastal spatial planning policies has helped maintain the sustainability of the local environment and culture. The implication of this research is the development of sustainable coastal spatial plans that take into account physical, social and cultural aspects. The results of this research can be a guide for local governments, environmental management institutions and other stakeholders in maintaining the sustainability of the coastal areas of Bantul Regency and similar areas throughout the world that face similar challenges.

Combining Landsat, VIIRS Night-time Light, and Sentinel-1 SAR for Spatial Flood Risk Assessment in Coastal Area: an Earth Engine Cloud Computing Process

The intensity of development in coastal areas stimulates various potential issues such as flood disasters. This study aims to demonstrate the importance of latest methods and geospatial data as inputs for coastal spatial planning policies in efforts to reduce flood disaster risks. Leveraging spatial analysis with cloud computing through Google Earth Engine (GEE), this research assesses flood risk components—hazards, vulnerability, and capacity. The method involves processing SAR Sentinel-1 data to map flood inundation as a representation of hazards, analyzing Landsat and WorldPop data to evaluate vulnerability, and assessing capacity by utilizing VIIRS nighttime light level imagery to determine economic activities. The chosen research study location is the coastal area of Pekalongan due to frequent flood disasters throughout the year. The results demonstrate that cloud computing is capable of assessing flood risks. The flood inundation model using SAR data covers an area of 2,780 hectares with an accuracy of 96.75%. The analysis also reveals the highest vulnerability level, reaching 15.7% (946.32 hectares) of the total area. The capacity analysis indicates a medium to high level of 15% (913.6 hectares). The assessment of flood risks in the coastal area is dominated by the medium to very high-risk class, covering 43% (2,631.84 hectares) of the area. In conclusion, integrating cloud-based flood risk modeling into spatial planning is crucial, considering disaster resilience for sustainable human habitats.

The Development of Regulation Systems for the Management of Coastal Areas in Indonesia’s Tourism

This research investigates the impact of coastal management regulations on Indonesia's tourism. Through literature review, it examines the effectiveness of statutory regulations. In order to manage coastal resources sustainably, comprehensive legislation and stakeholder involvement are needed. The importance of laws such as the PWP3K, Spatial Planning, and Job Creation for regulating coastal areas is underscored. These laws and regulations have a crucial role in achieving integrated and sustainable coastal area management, which must be implemented through spatial planning policies. Sustainable development requires a legal basis for coastal spatial planning regulations based on the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila philosophy.

Disclosure of mangrove conservation policies in SEA: Bibliometric content perspectives

As a result of damage since the 2010s, mangrove forests require conservation efforts, such as reforestation, business permits in coastal areas, rearrangement of coastal spatial planning, and law enforcement regulated by the government in environmental policies. This study aims to assess the evolution and identify knowledge related to mangrove conservation policies in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries using in-depth bibliometric and content analysis. This paper describes mangrove restoration and conservation policies in SEA countries . The results of the study show that as many as 220 articles about mangroves in SEA have been published, this shows that there is an increasing interest in disclosing mangrove restoration policies, included in SEA countries. Globally, there are similarities in regulations between countries: the difference lies in the application of the rules. Changes in land use are one of the drivers of mangrove damage in SEA countries . However, only a few researchers have discussed institutional arrangements and coastal development policies. Mangroves in Indonesia are protected by 22 laws and regulated by at least 18 institutions. Their administration in Thailand is governed by at least 20 laws and overseen by 7 ministries and departments. In the Philippines, 28 laws relate to the conservation of mangroves for cultivation. Additionally, we discuss the main findings, deficiencies, and directions for future research.

ANALISIS KONFLIK PEMANFAATAN RUANG KAWASAN PESISIR DI DARAT DAN PERAIRAN KECAMATAN LABBAKKANG KABUPATEN PANGKEP

Coastal spatial planning is very important for solving spatial use conflicts, namely by identifying and mapping all the uses, regulations and conflicts that occur. The purpose of this study aims to evaluate the suitability of land use in coastal area spatial use, analyze the factors that cause spatial use conflicts in coastal area resource management, and determine land use priorities in the spatial utilization of coastal areas on land and water in Labakang District, Pangkep Regency. This research uses a mix method research type, namely a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Data analysis techniques were performed using a Geographic Information System (GIS). To evaluate land suitability, a spatial analysis was carried out using a GIS approach using ArcInfo 3.5 and ArcView 3.1 software using overlay, weighting, scoring and class methods. This study found that spatial conflicts in the coastal area of Labakkang District occurred due to efforts to fulfill needs and control access to coastal natural resources, especially land. This situation causes spatial conflicts between interest groups in the utilization of coastal areas. This is caused by an increase in tourism activity in the coastal area of Labakang District, which was followed by an increase in the escalation of interest in it.

The sea level simulator v1.0: a model for integration of mean sea level change and sea level extremes into a joint probabilistic framework

Abstract. A statistical model called the sea level simulator v1.0 is introduced. The model integrates mean sea level change and sea level extremes into a joint probabilistic framework that is useful for coastal spatial planning. Given a user-defined planning period, the model can estimate the flood risk as a function of height above the current mean sea level. These flood risk estimates are derived through Monte Carlo simulations of a very large number of planning periods. The derived flood risk is contingent on user-assigned probabilities for future greenhouse gas emission pathways, and the model is thus also useful for quantifying the dependence of flood risk on such pathways and their probabilities. Moreover, the simulator can quantify whether flood risk is dominated by sea level extremes or mean sea level rise and how this depends on the length of the planning period. The code, written in MATLAB, is parallelized and lightweight enough that it can be run on an ordinary PC. The code is easily adaptable to include new locations, new mean sea level projections and similar model developments. The flood risk estimates derived from the simulator are well suited to tackle adaptation and decision problems. Applications for construction of coastal protection and land development in coastal areas have been demonstrated in the past. The paper gives an in-depth technical description of the model. Example simulations from a Swedish nuclear site are also given, and the capabilities of the simulator are discussed. The main aim of the paper is to work as a technical reference for the first public release of the sea level simulator.

ShoreScape

Urbanized sandy shores around the world suffer from coastal erosion due to a lack of sediment input and sea level rise. These dynamics place new demands on coastal spatial planning. To compensate for coastal erosion in a more natural and systemic way, sand nourishments are deployed as a ‘Building with Nature’ technique, restoring the sediment balance and promoting dune formation as coastal defence. In this research, Building with Nature is reframed as a landscape approach, regenerating the coastal landscape by tuning the interactions between the geomorphological, ecological, and urban system, to adapt to sea level rise. To this end, design principles have been developed that integrate nourishment dynamics, natural succession, and adaptive urban design to build towards safe and multi-functional coastal landscapes— Shore-Scapes. They focus on spatial coastal configurations utilizing wind-driven sedimentation processes to build up the coastal buffer, supporting dune formation, multifunctionality, and landscape differentiation. To direct sediment dynamics for coastal reinforcement and landscaping, three subsequent tools for dynamic design have been derived: morphogenesis, dynamic profiling, and aeolian design principles. With these principles, validated by fieldwork, GIS, and computational modelling, spatial arrangements can be composed enhancing the aeolian build-up of the coastal landscape over time. These principles were applied and contextualized in four case studies along the Dutch coast. They illustrate how dunes along urbanized shores can grow naturally after nourishment and allow coastal safety, recreation, and nature to complement each other.

Development of a land-sea coordination degree index for coastal regions of China

Land-sea coordination is a key principle of current national spatial planning and coastal spatial planning in China. In order to provide data that will serve for marine policy decision-making purposes this research develops innovatively a model to measure the degree of land-sea coordination and proposes a four-dimensional index system that includes economic development, resource utilization, ecological environment, and social livelihood. Tianjin and Shanghai are selected as the research areas. The results indicate that the degree of land-sea coordination in both Tianjin and Shanghai has increased over the reference period. In Tianjin, the land system efficiency was higher than that of the marine system, and urban development was dominant for land with moderate coordination. The efficiency of land and sea system were basically uniform in Shanghai, where urban progress remains moderately coordinated with a two-way development of land and sea. Land-sea coordination degree index can be used in the compilation and evaluation of territorial spatial planning and coastal zone special planning, and even the index itself can be used as the phased evaluation result after the implementation of spatial planning.

Identifying and quantifying key pressures in a data poor region: Coastal Spatial Planning in Heraklion Prefecture, Greece

Coastal regions are among the most valuable ecosystems due to the socioeconomic and ecological benefits and services they provide. Pressures, leading to multiple adverse effects on coastal habitats, seriously threaten these benefits. Coastal Spatial Planning (CSP) aims to mitigate these pressures in parallel with the E.U. Marine Strategy Framework Directive. A key aspect of ecosystem-based CSP is mapping the spatial distribution of pertinent pressures, and identifying Key Environmental Indicators (KEIs). This objective however, is difficult to achieve in data-poor regions leading to variable sources of uncertainty. Furthermore, a conceptual framework to homogenize spatially explicit data of relevant pressures is lacking. This study proposes a methodology for developing and integrating spatial pressure datasets in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment. This methodology was applied to a case study location in the northern and southern coastal area of Heraklion Prefecture, in Crete (Greece). The pressure datasets, used, were developed from a synthesis of proxy and satellite data, including abrasion, chlorophyll-a, commercial fish catches, invasive species, light pollution, microplastics, noise pollution, ocean acidification and organic load. These nine Potential Environmental Indicators (PEIs) were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to reduce the number of parameters, and identify their relationships. The shortlisted 7 KEIs were organic load, chlorophyll-a, microplastics, commercial fish catches, and noise pollution, indicating that this methodology can be of management relevance in the initial steps of CSP implementation, especially in data poor areas. The proposed spatial integration of disparate pressure datasets as part of the flowchart presented constitutes a compositional approach to the spatial illustration of pressures in a coastal area. The patterns of KEI connectivity and disturbance highlighted herein through statistical analysis, could provide a feasible, economic and less biased procedure leading to effective marine resource management, also allowing for a regional and European implementation.

Exploring resource and environmental carrying capacity and suitability for use in marine spatial planning: A case study of Wenzhou, China

The sea is the key to conducting sustainable scientific research and achieving strategic development of economic and environmental goals. The international community attaches great importance to the coordinated development of marine ecology, environment and socio-economic growth, and Europe has taken the lead in conducting relevant research. In recent years, although China has gradually tried to use quantitative and precise models for spatial planning, it still lacks a scientific logic - from theory to methodology - to address marine spatial planning. Based on the previous study of ecological and environmental quality and socio-economic development, this paper advocates the application logic of marine resources and ecological carrying capacity (MRECC) and marine use suitability (MUS). The Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province was selected as the research area and MRECC is measured by four dimensions: spatial development of the marine area, fishery resources, environment and ecology. Two types of typical marine use, fishing use and construction use, were selected as the suitability for analysis to determine the optimal spatial arrangement of the sea and to assess the spatial conflict of the sea in Wenzhou. The results show that: (1) the comprehensive carrying capacity index of the marine area varies greatly among the districts and counties of Wenzhou city, and the resources and environment are highly differentiated. Longwan and Dongtou counties are overburdened with fishery resource development; Yueqing city and Longwan county are overburdened with marine environment. (2) There are only a few suitable areas for fisheries, and these are distributed in the nearshore area. The unsuitable areas are concentrated in the Oujiang River, Feiyun River and Aojiang River estuary. The areas that are particularly suitable for marine construction are concentrated in the coastal waters. The water depth in the near-shore area is far from urban settlements, which is not suitable for marine construction and development. (3) The spatial conflict phenomena in Cangnan County and Pingyang County are less - the spatial arrangement of marine planning is more reasonable. Yueqing City, Longwan County and Dongtou County have significant conflicts in the arrangement of marine fishery use and need to be optimised. Overall, the intensive development of the sea affects the carrying capacity and suitability of the sea, and inevitably leads to conflicts in the sea. Marine protection and development urgently require active management measures and sound spatial planning. The implementation of targeted and marine spatial planning with “double assessment” is of great importance for coastal spatial planning and an important means to achieve sustainable development of the marine economy. Therefore, the recommendations are to implement environmental protection of coastal areas, improve the level of marine development and balance the development of marine areas to promote the sustainable development of the region.

Should Swedish sea level planners worry more about mean sea level rise or sea level extremes?

Current coastal spatial planning in Sweden uses simple methods to account for how flood risks increase owing to sea level rise. Those methods, however, fail to account for several important aspects of sea level rise, such as: projection uncertainty, emission scenario uncertainty and time dependence. Here, enhanced methods that account for these uncertainties are applied at several locations along the coast. The relative importance of mean sea level rise and extreme events for flood risk is explored for different timeframes. A general conclusion for all locations is that, extreme events dominate the flood risk for planning periods lasting a few decades. For longer planning periods, lasting toward the end of the century, the flood risk is instead dominated by the risk of high sea level rise. It is argued that these findings are important for assessments of future flood risk, and that they should be reflected in coastal spatial planning.

How to Control Coastal Zone Through Spatial Planning? Taking the Construction of the Spatial Monitoring Index System of the Coastal Zone in China as an Example

Due to its fragile ecological environment and superior natural and location conditions, coastal areas are receiving extensive attention all over the world. Scientific space control is needed to ensure the harmonious development of the “human-land-ocean” system in this region. The monitoring index system is a crucial grasp of the national territory use control; it is also one of the main contents in the reform of China’s planning system in the new era. Therefore, based on the strategic idea of land–sea overall management and the concept of “life community of human, mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and ocean”, this study puts forward three connotations of the index system of coastal spatial planning from the perspective of “function-structure-elements.” Then, adopting the methods of “multiple planning integration” and expert consultation and using the research idea of “setting control objectives, contents, and indicators,” an index system suitable for coastal space control is constructed. The results show that the index system puts forward 33 sub-indexes for coastal ecological space, living space, and production space and provides a basis for the high-quality development of coastal space through the restrictions and requirements on the total amount, bottom line, boundary, conversion, and quality of various spatial elements. This study can provide a basis for formulation, implementation, and later monitoring of coastal spatial planning and provide an index reference for the management of coastal areas in other countries in the world.

An object-based image analysis in QGIS for image classification and assessment of coastal spatial planning

In practice, urban and regional planners often use a pixel-based method for image classification. Unfortunately, it produces lower accuracy than an Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) method, especially for the high-resolution images. To assess spatial planning, scholars rarely used the OBIA method in open-source software. This paper aims to develop a method for classifying land cover and assessing coastal spatial planning. We used Sentinel-2A in 2015 and 2020 as the basic data. For image classification, we used the OBIA method in Quantum GIS (QGIS) 3.10.6 and Orfeo ToolBox 7.1.0. Furthermore, we used Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Cellular Automata (CA) algorithms in QGIS 2.18.20 for projecting future land cover change, and then used the projected land cover map to assess the spatial planning in 2031. The results show that the OBIA method is useful for image classification, achieving 94.50 and 90.98 percent of the overall accuracy for the imageries in 2015 and 2020, respectively. Our coastal spatial planning assessment shows that the plan has not considered adequately the rapid land cover change of the region, especially the increase in waterbodies. We advocate that the local government should consider this issue when evaluating the spatial planning. The methodology using an open-source software such as QGIS in a developing country context also provides a promising exemplar that other local governments can use for assessing their spatial planning.