Abstract for: A Spatial-Dynamic Approach for the Integrated Management of Coastal Ecosystems

Coral reef is a key coastal resource to indicate the integrity and soundness of the marine environment. Inappropriate coastal management practices are likely to weaken coral reef ability to cope with disturbances and may therefore lead to undesirable phase shifts in ecosystem composition. Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is now recognized as being the most appropriate tool for the sustainable use of coastal resources. To incorporate EBM in coastal management for resource conservation, interdisciplinary modelling approaches are needed. This study develops a spatiotemporal modelling framework based on the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) software for sustainable coral reef management in Nanwan bay, Kenting, Taiwan. The System Dynamics (SD) approach is used to integrate socioeconomic and ecological systems and perform scenarios analysis. Preliminary results suggests that an integrated Marine Protected Area (MPA) (no take + no waste water discharge) might have more beneficial effects on both the ecosystem and the fishery sector than a simple no-take MPA.