Environmental and resource applications
Introduction
The coast is highly valued by society for the market and non-market
goods and services it provides (Turner et al., 1998). However, the potential
for coastal developments to have wide ranging and often indirect impacts
is increasingly recognized, and even development work with clearly
recognized local objectives may have adverse effects elsewhere along the
coast. These conflicts, coupled with an escalating demand for coastal
resources, the restricted geographical extent of the coastal zone, and the
fragile nature of many coastal environments means that the shoreline
is an area that requires careful management. It is important that successful
coastal management strategies are supported by the implementation
of rational, integrated, and sustainable interventions that are centred
around the principles of long-term planning (Bartlett, 1994). The term
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is nowadays often used
to address this type of process (Bower & Turner, 1998). Whilst there
are many potential benefits to adopting an integrated approach, ICZM
requires that environmental managers and planners have access to a
diverse range of high quaiity spatially referenced data on the physical,
biological, and socio-economic processes operating within the zone
(Lucas, 1996). Hence, it is unsurprising rhat there is a growing interest in the development of coastal zone information systems based on
GIS technologies (Bartlett, 1994).
An early attempt at a basic decision support system for coastal management in South Africa was outlined by Raal et al. (1995). Recently,
more sophisticated systems have been developed. A particularly
impressive example is the Rapid Assessment Module for Coastal zone
management (RaMCo), produced by de-Kok et al. (1997). Centred on
the coastal zone of South-West Sulawesi, Indonesia, RaMCo combines
a basic GIS with a dynamic system model for biophysical and socioeconomic coastal zone interactions.
On the face of it, GIS certainly appear to be attractive tools to facilitate
the execution of ICZM related programmes. Their ability to accommodate
and integrate large databases means that they may play an important
role in the decision making process. These attributes, coupled with
their provision of advanced mapping and spatial analysis facilities, are
reasons why they are increasingly being implemented by those charged
with the task of administering stretches of coast (Bartlett et al., 1997).
However, whilst the use of the technology as a tool for land-based
resource management and planning is well established, GIS applications in coastal and aquatic environments are often rather poorly defined
(Ricketts, 1992). At least in part, this may be due to the fact that offthe-shelf GIS are generally lacking the basic functionality required to
tackle many coastal management issues (Maslen et al., 1996). These limitations are compounded by the fact that coastal decision-makers are often
overwhelmed by the complexity of many GIS applications (Green, 1995;
Raal et al., 1995). Consequently, much of the potential of the technology remains unrealised.
199
Introduction
The coast is highly valued by society for the market and non-market
goods and services it provides (Turner et al., 1998). However, the potential
for coastal developments to have wide ranging and often indirect impacts
is increasingly recognized, and even development work with clearly
recognized local objectives may have adverse effects elsewhere along the
coast. These conflicts, coupled with an escalating demand for coastal
resources, the restricted geographical extent of the coastal zone, and the
fragile nature of many coastal environments means that the shoreline
is an area that requires careful management. It is important that successful
coastal management strategies are supported by the implementation
of rational, integrated, and sustainable interventions that are centred
around the principles of long-term planning (Bartlett, 1994). The term
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is nowadays often used
to address this type of process (Bower & Turner, 1998). Whilst there
are many potential benefits to adopting an integrated approach, ICZM
requires that environmental managers and planners have access to a
diverse range of high quaiity spatially referenced data on the physical,
biological, and socio-economic processes operating within the zone
(Lucas, 1996). Hence, it is unsurprising rhat there is a growing interest in the development of coastal zone information systems based on
GIS technologies (Bartlett, 1994).
An early attempt at a basic decision support system for coastal management in South Africa was outlined by Raal et al. (1995). Recently,
more sophisticated systems have been developed. A particularly
impressive example is the Rapid Assessment Module for Coastal zone
management (RaMCo), produced by de-Kok et al. (1997). Centred on
the coastal zone of South-West Sulawesi, Indonesia, RaMCo combines
a basic GIS with a dynamic system model for biophysical and socioeconomic coastal zone interactions.
On the face of it, GIS certainly appear to be attractive tools to facilitate
the execution of ICZM related programmes. Their ability to accommodate
and integrate large databases means that they may play an important
role in the decision making process. These attributes, coupled with
their provision of advanced mapping and spatial analysis facilities, are
reasons why they are increasingly being implemented by those charged
with the task of administering stretches of coast (Bartlett et al., 1997).
However, whilst the use of the technology as a tool for land-based
resource management and planning is well established, GIS applications in coastal and aquatic environments are often rather poorly defined
(Ricketts, 1992). At least in part, this may be due to the fact that offthe-shelf GIS are generally lacking the basic functionality required to
tackle many coastal management issues (Maslen et al., 1996). These limitations are compounded by the fact that coastal decision-makers are often
overwhelmed by the complexity of many GIS applications (Green, 1995;
Raal et al., 1995). Consequently, much of the potential of the technology remains unrealised.
199