Coastal Zone Management Research Articles

A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Shoreline Changes in the Ilaje Coastal Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Erosion presents a significant challenge to coastlines worldwide, and the Ilaje area in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is no different. Aggressive flooding along this shoreline has led to property damage, economic disruption, and a looming threat to the survival of riverine communities in the region. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of spatial and temporal changes in the Ilaje coastal area of Ondo state from 1986 to 2020. The analysis utilized the SCE, EPR, and LRR methods to examine shoreline changes. Additionally, spatial digitization was performed for Ayetoro, a highly susceptible coastal community, spanning from 2008 to 2023. The results indicate that approximately 86% of the coastline experienced erosion, while the remaining 14% underwent accretion. Notably, the western and central sections of the coastline emerged as the areas most vulnerable to erosion. Ayetoro, situated centrally, faces dire circumstances. The interplay of natural geomorphic processes and human activities played a role in driving these changes. Beyond the immediate physical alterations, erosion has reverberated through the local ecosystems, livelihoods, and infrastructure, posing risks to numerous communities. This study emphasizes the need for urgent actions through integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) strategies to promote coastal stability in the region. The results of the study further provide valuable insights into the need for coastal managers and planners to regularly assess the state of the coastline and proactively proffer suitable solutions to reduce rampant coastal degradation.

COLOSSAL LOSS OF FISH BIODIVERSITY DURING FRY COLLECTION IN THE RUPSHA RIVER

A key challenge for sustainable fish production is the loss of fish biodiversity caused by the indiscriminate capture of non-target creatures, particularly in Bangladesh's inland and coastal regions. In addition to serving as a crucial navigational channel in Bangladesh's coastal regions, the Rupsha River in Khulna City is also home to over 15000 fishermen who harvest fish and shrimp fry. Therefore, a study was carried out to assess the existing fry collection scenarios, fish bycatch and its impact on the biodiversity to enhance the production and biodiversity of the Rupsha River. Between May 2022 and July 2023, information was gathered from stakeholders through a combination of personal observation, focus groups, and cross-check interviews. In this study, Macrobrachium rosenbergii and Penaeus monodon fry were collected from wild sources by fixed blue net (FBN) and drag net (DN) as target species. For FBN compared to DN, efficiency and survival rate were both higher. FBN and DN caught 20 different bycatch species, including one highly endangered (Channa striata), four vulnerable species, and four commercial species. During the study period, the mortality rates of bycatch was 50%. The assessed value of the commercial adult species lost during fry collection stands at 1,245 BDT (Bangladesh Taka) per person per day, whereas the earnings of the fry collectors’ amount to 80 BDT per day. Hence, it is imperative to rigorously enforce a ban on larvae fishing through community participation and integrated coastal zone management to preserve aquatic biodiversity and protect the livelihoods of the coastal population.

Dune belt restoration effectiveness assessed by UAV topographic surveys (northern Adriatic coast, Italy)

Abstract. Unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring surveys are used to assess a dune restoration project in the protected natural area of the Bevano River mouth on the northern Adriatic coast (Ravenna, Italy). The impacts of the installed fences to aid dune development are quantified in terms of sand volume and vegetation cover changes over 5 years using a systematic data processing workflow based on structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and the Geomorphic Change Detection (GCD) toolset applied to two drone surveys in 2016 and 2021. Accuracy assessment is performed using statistical analysis between ground-truth and model elevation data. Results show that the fence proves to be effective in promoting recovery and growth since significant sand deposition was observed along the dune foot and front – a total area of 3799 m2, volume of 1109 m3, and average depositional depth of 0.29 m. Progradation of around 3–5 m of the foredune and embryo development were also evident. There was a decrease in blowout features of about 155 m2 due to increased deposition and vegetation colonization. There was also an average percent increase of 160 % on wave-induced driftwood and/or debris along the beach and of 9.6 % vegetation within the fence based on the cover analysis on selected transects. Erosion of around 1439 m2 is apparent mostly at the northern portion of the structure, which could be accounted for by the aerodynamic and morphodynamic conditions around the fence and its configuration to trap sediments and efficiency in doing so. Overall, dune fencing coupled with limiting debris cleaning along the protected coast was effective. The proposed workflow can aid in creating transferable guidelines to stakeholders in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) implementation on Mediterranean low-lying sandy coasts.

Coastal eutrophication driven by long-distance transport of large river nutrient loads, the case of Xiangshan Bay, China

With accelerating anthropogenic activities, the overloading of land-derived nutrients and the resultant eutrophication are threatening coastal aquatic habitats worldwide. In semi-enclosed coastal bays, eutrophication is always considered a local problem that can be mitigated by nutrient reduction at a regional scale. However, as the main nutrient drains major global river discharges can have far-reaching effects over hundreds of kilometers alongshore, which are usually not precisely recognized in local coastal zone management. Here, we first quantified the contributions from both local and remote nutrient sources in Xiangshan Bay (XSB), a eutrophic semi-enclosed bay in China 200 km south of the mouth of the Changjiang River (CJR, the world's third largest river), employing a salinity-based conservative mixing model. We found that the nutrients in Xiangshan Bay were mainly supplied by intruded coastal water fed by CJR discharge, contributing 63 % of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), 65 % of dissolved silicon (DSi), and 49 % of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) during the summer of 2017, and 75 % of DIN, 75 % of DSi and 60 % of DIP during the winter of 2019. Additionally, long-term interannual trends in the nutrient concentrations of XSB were generally synchronous with those of the downstream portion of the CJR, indicating that CJR discharge seems to be a strong driver of the eutrophication observed in XSB. In contrast, the impact of local nutrient inputs, such as riverine sewage drainage, aquaculture, biogenic activities, and elemental recycling, was much lower and was regionally limited to the inner bay. Interestingly, the DIP contributions of the local and remote sources were similar, indicating the greater relevance of the internal process. Overall, to mitigate eutrophication in large river-adjacent coastal bays, the inter-regional united practices for nutrient source regulation and ecosystem restoration should be permanently applied along the entire river basin-estuary-coastal continuum.

Land-Sea-Interactions in MSP and ICZM: A regional perspective from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

Land-sea interactions are relevant for marine spatial planning. Natural processes at the land-sea interface shape the terrestrial and the marine environment, influencing coastal and maritime activities in the area. Coastal and sea uses also hold numerous land-sea interactions, calling for infrastructures and services both on the land and the sea side. The concept of land-sea interactions has been elaborated and applied already in several studies. Notwithstanding this, application of land-sea interaction analysis within Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Coastal (Zone) Management (ICM/ICZM) is far to be operationalized and still challenges the planning processes, with different countries approaching it differently, at different level of analysis. In this paper the Guidelines for LSI in MSP proposed by UNEP/MAP PAP/RAC to provide practical support to land-sea interaction analysis within MSP are applied in four case studies: Bulgaria, Italy, Malta and Montenegro, within formal and informal marine spatial planning processes. The Guidelines have proved to be flexible, scalable and suitable to tiered approaches. They were adapted to the specificities of different planning, geographic, governance contexts, responding to the state and the needs of MSP development in the different countries, including non-EU ones.

Environmental coastal research: a systematic review for Azores and Cabo Verde, two peripherical Macaronesian archipelagos

There is a strong link between humans and the coastal zone, as it provides important services and resources. This paper aims to determine the existing environmental coastal research status in the Azores and Cabo Verde since research is essential for any decision support system. Some tools are fundamental to ensure the viability of the marine environments, such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), which rely on existing knowledge. Effective implementation of marine plans can increase by developing a multi-perspective knowledge approach. This paper presents a systematic review of the archipelagos of the Azores and Cabo Verde through a comparative meta-analysis of the literature based on the PRISMA report to better understand the focus and status of research related to coastal zones, within and outside MPAs, along with marine spatial planning and management in the two socio-economic contexts. This will help to identify common issues, trends over the years, successes, and challenges, highlighting the specific interests of each country, identifying the knowledge gaps, promoting mutual learning, and pointing out possible paths for future convergence toward sustainable use of the ecosystems and conservation goals. Differences were found between the research made in both archipelagos, lacking research on important disciplines (reproduction, behavior, population dynamics, climate change, etc.), in Cabo Verde, compared to the Azores. This study also reveals that some research fields still need to be pushed forward to have broader knowledge in both areas.

Environmental variables and its association with faecal coliform at Madh Island beaches of megacity Mumbai, India

The abundance of fecal-indicating bacteria in water bodies are said to be influenced by environmental conditions. The effect of environmental parameters on the changing microbial population plays an important role in coastal water quality assessment. It's crucial to comprehend these patterns in order to support management initiatives for pollution control. There are studies on faecal bacteria contamination of surface water and how environmental conditions affect it, however majority of them are based on large river basins and temperate regions of developed countries. In this paper, we study the different physicochemical and physical factors of the five recreational beaches in Mumbai, India and examine how these environmental factors affect the levels of faecal indicating bacteria, namely, coliforms in the region. A relatively high number of coliform was identified from the water and sediment samples of Marve Beach (>1600 MP N/100 ml or g), followed by Erangal Beach and Danapani Beach (∼150–350 MP N/100 ml or g), exceeding the normal standard limits of <100 MP N/100 ml set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India. Of the physiochemical parameters examined, BOD showed to have a strong positive correlation with the coliform bacteria. The nutrients and heavy metal concentrations did not show any major effect on the microbial population. The MIKE CMAP predicted tide, MIKE3 Flow Model FM simulated coastal current, ERA5 hourly wind, as well as SWAN model simulated nearshore wave together considerably exhibit alliance of microbial behavior in the beaches with ambient physical processes. This study reveals that Mumbai's coastal water contain significant concentrations of faecal bacteria, which, if not monitored regularly could have future consequences on the recreational activities of the region, thereby on public health. This assessment might help in simulation of water quality prediction, and for optimizing the coastal zone management and development across recreational beaches.

Conceptualization of Region-Specific Comprehensive Ocean Management Re-gime (COMR) for Maritime Economic Exploitation

The history of the global economy is the history of global international trade; whoever could command the oceans could control the wealth of that Era, e.g., Phoenicians and Arabs commanded the world before Europe’s colonial expeditions through seas. When the Cold War Bipolar Era ended, the USA has been enjoying the benefits of globalization through military presence and hegemony across oceans in the unipolar Era. The Indian Ocean is said to contain most of the significant sea trade routes of the world, and the Bay of Bengal in the Northeast does the same more precisely while interfacing with the South China sea. Regional peace and stability is a precondition for the sustainability of international maritime trade and other blue economic functions. Here, this research is to propose region specific COMR (comprehensive ocean management regime) model to achieve blue economic objectives sustainably for the BOB (Bay of Bengal) maritime-littoral region. This research examined coastal and ocean initiatives like Maritime Protected Areas and Integrated Coastal Zone Management for their challenges at policy, management and operation levels leading towards a conceivable solution, choosing to make a few insinuations to the nations and areas of the world. Sectoral data that has been aggregated might be confusing, and quantitative data lacks validity and precision. In an outcome, in the deficiency of quantitative data, the presentation is created qualitatively. Moreover, the study also uses the Delphi method to address the research objectives of this study because, to establish a consensus, the Delphi technique includes obtaining expert opinion through a series of progressive and iterative investigations.

The Coastal Zone Management Act in Its Sixth Decade: An Unsung Cornerstone in the Nation’s Response to Climate and Ocean Change, Part II

This essay concludes the examination of the CZMA entitled “The Coastal Zone Management Act in Its Sixth Decade: An Unsung Cornerstone in the Nation’s Response to Climate and Ocean Change” begun in the July issue of this journal. The July installment placed the CZMA in the political context of its origins, reviewed today’s political and legal constraints on environmental laws, and introduced CZMA Section 309 which authorizes grants to states and territories with federally approved Coastal Management Programs (CMPs) to enhance those programs over the coming 5 years to meet specified objectives. The first installment concluded that Section 309 and its explicit reference to climate related impacts provided an important legal framework to address these challenging coastal phenomena. This second installment further deepens the analysis by closely examining 12 state 5-year strategies with particular attention to coastal hazards, including sea level rise and approaches to the challenge of managed retreat. The review reenforces the essay’s conclusion that the CZMA’s Section 309 program provides a well focused weapon in the nation’s arsenal to respond to climate and ocean change and its coastal impacts.

Coastal habitat quality assessment and mapping in the terrestrial-marine continuum: Simulating effects of coastal management decisions

Assessment and mapping of coastal habitat quality are critical for integrated coastal zone management. However, in the coastal zone, characterized as a terrestrial-marine continuum, few studies have incorporated land-sea connections while mapping and predicting the quality of habitats. In this study, we propose a novel framework that integrates an ecosystem service assessment model and global ecosystem classification, and within this framework, the cross-system threats from both ocean- and land-based human activities were considered. On this basis, by linking the threat sources of habitat quality with management policy scenarios, the prediction of habitat quality across land and sea was realized. Xiamen Bay, a typical intensively developed bay in Southeast China, was used as a case study. Thirteen habitat types and 12 threats were identified in the upland/supratidal, intertidal, and subtidal zones of Xiamen Bay. Each threat affected habitats in at least two coastal zone subdivisions. The results showed that by 2030, 26.9% of the total habitat area is expected to decline in quality, while 16.9% will improve. Intertidal habitats are especially vulnerable to multiple threats. Our study revealed a strong negative correlation between threat intensity and habitat quality changes. Eight of the 12 threats will be changed by the five coastal management policies, and six types of habitats are potential beneficiaries. Overall, local coastal zone management strategies will contribute to enhance the quality of intertidal and subtidal habitats, whereas upland/supratidal zone are anticipated to experience a decline. The tourism development policy may have negative impacts on all 13 habitats and cover the largest area, while the aquaculture regulation policy is expected to yield the greatest benefits. We revealed that cross-system threats are prevalent in coastal zone habitats, making it possible for coastal zone management policies to have cross-system impacts. The tool developed herein can support integrated coastal zone management in the terrestrial-marine continuum and facilitate effective decision-making.

Spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic debris in the surface beach sediment of the southeastern coast of Bangladesh

This study undertakes a spatiotemporal analysis of microplastic pollution in surface beach sediments, covering 7 coastal beaches in Bangladesh and two seasons-monsoon and winter. The concentration of microplastics extracted from the surface beach sediment is 242.86 particles/kg dw. The results showed both significant seasonal (p value = 0.001) and spatial (p value = 0.004) variation. The abundance and polymer types were significantly higher (57 %) in winter than in the monsoon season (43 %). Touristic and commercial beaches showed higher levels of microplastic pollution than the non-touristic beaches. Polyethylene (28.8 %) and Polypropylene (27.6 %) were the most abundant polymer. The most dominant coloration of microplastics was white (42.6 %). The majority of the microplastics were fibers (33.5 %). Smallest particles measuring <1 mm constituted nearly half of the total microplastics load (48.5 %). This baseline data can be useful in terms of coastal zone management for the southeastern coastal beaches of Bangladesh.

The Kandinsky building in Chile: A case study demonstrating extreme urbanization pressure on coastal ecosystems

This discussion addresses the urgent issue of coastal urbanization in Chile, particularly focusing on the degradation of dune systems due to accelerated urban development and inadequate management frameworks. Using the Kandinsky Building collapse as a case study, this paper elucidates the vulnerabilities associated with extreme coastal urbanization and the absence of robust legislation. The research calls for the immediate implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Territorial Planning as pivotal tools for effective coastal governance in Chile. Both these mechanisms, when grounded in science, can provide sustainable solutions that balance current land-use demands with future ecological needs. We emphasize the necessity of scientifically informed setback lines, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), public education, and fiscal instruments to mitigate the challenges posed by extreme coastal urbanization. A Chile-specific ICZM plan, incorporating scientific research into policy formulation and execution, is imperative for evidence-based, adaptive, and sustainable decision-making.

Diagnosis of the coastal management model in Chile: The island and the sea of Chiloé governance

The aim of the study described here was to gain a better understanding of the cause of problems in southern Chile by critically analyzing the governance of the coastal areas of the island and the sea of Chiloé. Chiloé is the main island of the homonymous archipelago located in southern Chilean Patagonia. A strategic diagnosis was carried out by studying the ten subdivisions of the political-administrative system that compose the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Decalogue. The results demonstrate that conflicts in Chiloé follow a strongly centralized state model, which tends to prioritize economic development over the socio-ecological and cultural complexity of the coast and disregarding climate change effects and the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being. In the last five years, some advances have been made in the constitutional process and decentralization objectives, suggesting an improvement in Chiloe’s coastal management.

Coupling of machine learning and remote sensing for soil salinity mapping in coastal area of Bangladesh

Soil salinity is a pressing issue for sustainable food security in coastal regions. However, the coupling of machine learning and remote sensing was seldom employed for soil salinity mapping in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The research aims to estimate the soil salinity level in a southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Using the Landsat OLI images, 13 soil salinity indicators were calculated, and 241 samples of soil salinity data were collected from a secondary source. This study applied three distinct machine learning models (namely, random forest, bagging with random forest, and artificial neural network) to estimate soil salinity. The best model was subsequently used to categorize soil salinity zones into five distinct groups. According to the findings, the artificial neural network model has the highest area under the curve (0.921), indicating that it has the most potential to predict and detect soil salinity zones. The high soil salinity zone covers an area of 977.94 km2 or roughly 413.51% of the total study area. According to additional data, a moderate soil salinity zone (686.92 km2) covers 30.56% of Satkhira, while a low soil salinity zone (582.73 km2) covers 25.93% of the area. Since increased soil salinity adversely affects human health, agricultural production, etc., the study's findings will be an effective tool for policymakers in integrated coastal zone management in the southwestern coastal area of Bangladesh.

Mangroves' role in supporting ecosystem-based techniques to reduce disaster risk and adapt to climate change: A review

Variations due to climate change like rising sea levels, recurring storm surges and changing wave conditions coupled with unsustainable development along the coast are exacerbating coastal populations' vulnerability to coastal dangers globally. The ecosystem based solution to achieve sustainable development is increasingly advocated in the last two decades to leverage nature's robust adaptive capacity to change and protect people against its negative consequences. Mangroves protect and maintain a rich marine biodiversity in the tropics and subtropics and are crucial carbon sinks. The present study thus analyses mangroves' role as ecosystem-based technique to reduce disaster risk and adapt to climate change using Mauritius, a small island state, as case study, particularly the coastal protective and climate change adaptive capacities of the two local species Rhizophora mucronata Lam. and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lam. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were used to retrieve resources from Google Scholar, Web of Science and ScienceDirect for the 2002 to 2022 period. A total of 41,789 records were identified and through a robust screening and filtering process only 50 studies were deemed relevant to the present study. In this context, key attributes of mangrove forests were found to be in reducing coastal flood risk, sheltering coastal regions during storms and stabilizing the coast. This study lays the foundation to consider Rhizophora and Brugueira as robust nature based solutions for Mauritius which will be of key importance to decision makers, researchers and the public at large to consider restoring degraded mangrove sites and promote ecosystem-based approaches to reduce disaster risk, adapt to climate change, enhance marine spatial planning and better coastal zone management.

A systematic review of deliberation research in marine and coastal case studies

Deliberation is an important concept in marine and coastal systems research because it is a key feature of many practical governance approaches such as participatory management, co-management, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and Marine Spatial Planning. However, the research trends on deliberation have yet to be fully reviewed and evaluated to assess future opportunities and knowledge gaps in the field. In this article, we systematically review the literature to provide evidence on deliberation in marine and coastal governance systems. We review 187 case studies from peer-reviewed articles worldwide, guided by three areas of inquiry: (1) how deliberation is applied to frame the problem of the case studies, (2) methodologies used to evaluate and design deliberation processes, and (3) recommendations to increase the effectiveness of deliberation processes. Findings indicate there is uneven spatial distribution of studies between the global north and the global south. Most case studies used deliberation to develop recommendations related to participatory governance and most of the researchers actively participated to solve real-world problems by creating a deliberation process. In addition to that, recommendations from case studies indicate deliberation processes can provide a framework to enhance participatory governance/management and science-policy integration. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings to guide continued research and practice engaged with deliberation activities. Our systematic review provides a foundational baseline for understanding the research trends on deliberation in marine and coastal governance systems. The findings of this review are relevant for future researchers and practitioners who consider deliberation as an essential element of participatory approaches in natural resource governance, especially in marine and coastal sectors.

Assessment of Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies in Coastal Environments of Taiwan

Taiwan’s rapid economic and industrial growth has put enormous pressure on its natural environment. This is especially visible in the coastal zone, where risks such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion, land subsidence, and flooding threaten the already vulnerable ecosystems. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is a management strategy that uses ecosystems to reduce disaster risks. While this type of strategy is promoted in the ‘Taiwan Coastal Zone Management Act’ (TCZMA), there is still a lack of data on the implementation of Eco-DRR methods in Taiwan. This study examines papers on policy analyses of the TCZMA, and five main barriers for implementation of Eco-DRR in Taiwan are identified. Subsequently, in order to assess Eco-DRR strategies in the coastal zone of Taiwan, case studies and evaluation data on ecosystem-based management strategies were assembled and evaluated. The results of this study show that initial strategies to plant mangroves for reduction of wave energy have not always been successful; in certain areas they were removed again due to invasiveness in endemic wetland ecosystems. Moreover, artificially building sand dunes can have negative side effects, like oversteepening of the dune profile or deteriorating the natural dune dynamics. To address and tackle aforementioned challenges, a novel framework is introduced for improved uptake of Eco-DRR in Taiwan and beyond, and suggestions for future strategies are proposed.

A Transformer Model for Coastline Prediction in Weitou Bay, China

The simulation and prediction of coastline changes are of great significance for the development and scientific management of coastal zones. Coastline changes are difficult to capture completely but appear significantly periodic over a long time series. In this paper, the transformer model is used to learn the changing trend of the coastline so as to deduce the position of the coastline in the coming year. First, we use the distance regularization level set evolution (DRLSE) model for instantaneous waterline extraction (IWE) from preprocessed Landsat time-series images from 2010–2020 in Weitou Bay, China. Then, tidal correction (TC) is performed on the extracted instantaneous waterline dataset to obtain coastlines projected to a single reference tidal datum. Finally, the coastline datasets from 2010–2019 are used for model training, and the coastline in 2020 is used for accuracy assessment. Three precision evaluation methods, including receiver operating characteristic curve matching, the mean offset, and the root mean square error, were used to verify the predicted coastline data. The receiver operating characteristic curve was specifically designed and improved to evaluate the accuracy of the obtained coastline. Compared with the support vector regression (SVR) and long–short-term memory (LSTM) methods, the results showed that the coastline predicted by the transformer model was the closest to the accurate extracted coastline. The accuracies of the correct values corresponding to SVR, LSTM, and transformer models were 88.27%, 94.08%, and 98.80%, respectively, which indicated the accuracy of the coastline extraction results. Additionally, the mean offset and root mean square error were 0.32 pixels and 0.57 pixels, respectively. In addition, the experimental results showed that tidal correction is important for coastline prediction. Moreover, through field investigations of coastlines, the predicted results obtained for natural coastlines were more accurate, while the predicted results were relatively poor for some artificial coastlines that were intensely influenced by human activities. This study shows that the transformer model can provide natural coastline changes for coastal management.

Research on integrated coastal zone management from past to the future: a bibliometric analysis

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) has been regarded as an effective tool for achieving sustainable development of coastal ecosystems and reducing potential human health risks, but questions remain regarding its research status and future directions. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using screened 6151 publications collected from Web of Science Core Collection databases. An exponential increase trend of publications revealed the continuous and strong research interests for ICZM worldwide. The most high-yield country, institution, category, and journal were USA, NOAA, Environmental Sciences, and Ocean &amp;amp; Coastal Management, respectively. Regarding the number of publications, academic influence, and international collaboration, the developed countries occupied the predominant positions. Co-word analysis reveals eight important topics: challenge, service, management and planning, method and technology, development, process, area, and system. Relevant future directions of the ICZM field were proposed based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. This review addresses the question of what focal topics in the ICZM field and what should be focused on in future works by objective and quantitative methods. Our results provide valuable insights into the evolution of the ICZM field and the sustainable development of the coastal areas.

Operationalizing the blue economy in the Gulf of Guinea, Africa

The Blue Economy is crucial for sustainable development in Africa, and the Gulf of Guinea, one of Sub-Saharan Africa's most economically dynamic countries, faces several challenges in transitioning into this economy. This study assesses the situation of the Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea and proposes strategies for its operationalization. A qualitative research approach was used to examine each member state's marine conservation initiatives, regional collaboration, management approaches, and strategic frameworks. Findings show that the Gulf of Guinea is already experiencing blue economy activities, but challenges like rapid population growth, urbanization, piracy, unsustainable anthropogenic activities, poor institutional frameworks, and climate change hinder the transition. The Gulf of Guinea's ocean economy accounts for less than 10% of GDP, so integrating the blue economy into trade strategies is crucial for its transformation. A systematic approach based on national priorities, social context, and resource base is needed to foster social inclusion, economic progress, and sustainable ocean development. Enablers of blue growth, such as integrated coastal zone management, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas, marine biodiversity, and blue justice discourse, must be integrated into policy design, prioritizing sustainability and equity. A cautious, phased approach is suggested, focusing on establishing traditional sectors, growing them, integrating value chains, and implementing regional collaboration so that the blue economy delivers on its social, environmental and economic goals in the Gulf of Guinea.