Impact on income and livelihood of fisheries workers: Closed fishing season policy for sardines in Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines Abstract The closed fishing season policy for sardines in the Zamboanga Peninsula is intended to conserve the sardine species and sustain long-term operations for the sardine industry in the region. As the fishing regulation entails work suspension, it could inevitably pose serious repercussion on the fisheries workers who are highly dependent on sardine production for livelihood. This study assesses the impact of the three-month fishing ban on the income and livelihood of the fisheries workers. Utilising a survey research design, the article shows that income loss as the first and immediate consequence following the implementation of the policy in 2011. This is consequential to the economic well-being of the affected fisheries workers, especially to those among low-income households. While income loss seems to cast a shadow over the favourability of the fishing regulation, the fisheries workers still managed to alleviate the impact by: obtaining a replacement job or substitute livelihood; being rehired by the canning factories and bottling companies after the fishing ban; having multiple sources of income; and staying in the workforce for scaled-down operations in the sardine processing companies. These factors mitigate income loss, translate to a guaranteed re-employment, and offer some security to the fisheries workers and their households during the closed fishing season.

On the feasibility of managed retreat in the Wadden Sea of Schleswig-Holstein Abstract Sea embankments along the mainland coastline in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea safeguard 130,000 people and 19 billion € of capital assets from flooding during storm surges. Due to climate change induced sea-level rise, these defences will become exposed to higher storm surges and adaptation becomes inevitable. As an alternative to strengthening, managed retreat is discussed in literature as a coastal risk management option for climate change adaptation. Based on an evaluation of examples from the Wadden Sea, this paper elaborates managed retreat as alternative climate change adaptation from a coastal risk management perspective. This paper concludes that, conform the principles of integrated coastal zone management, one precondition for successful implementation of managed retreat is local acceptance. With respect to natural resilience to sea-level rise, managed retreat may counteract the loss of Wadden Sea structures and habitats due to coastal squeeze. However, the effectiveness depends on the surface elevation in the opened polder. If large volumes of sediment are needed to restore a natural elevation, regional resilience against SLR-induced drowning may deteriorate. With respect to coastal flood risk management in Schleswig-Holstein, opened polders have no significance as flood retention rooms and managed retreat does not reduce the hazard of flooding in surrounding polders. Further, removal of primary embankments requires large efforts to secure flood safety in adjacent polders. Under certain conditions, removal or opening of embankments may constitute sustainable coastal risk management, e.g., if retreat leads to a shorter line of defence or if other win-win-situations like securing of NATURA 2000 coherence arise.

Factors influencing the accumulation of Pd in mangrove wetland sediments in Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan, China Abstract The mangrove wetland in Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan Province was taken as a research area for the collection of samples of sediments and other media. The Pd content was determined by microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the factors influencing the accumulation of the platinum group element (PGE) Pd in mangrove wetland sediments were discussed. The results showed that the average concentrations of Pd in the surface sediments, plants and water of mangrove wetlands were 4.81 ng/g (1.51~8.15 ng/g), 0.94 ng/g (ND ~ 4.34 ng/g), and 0.11 ng/mL (ND ~ 0.27 ng/mL), respectively. Pd was mainly concentrated in the sediments, which absorb most of the Pd in the mangrove wetland environment. From the wetland estuary to offshore, the sediment Pd showed a decreasing trend. The land origin of Pd in mangrove wetland was explained. Extending from the mudflat to the mangrove, the “V” shape becomes the main distribution pattern of sediment Pd, which is higher in the mudflat and forest, and lowest in the forest edge. In the vertical direction, the average concentrations of Pd were the highest at the surface (10–20 cm) and decreased with increasing depth. Pd concentrations in the sediment in the dry season was higher than that in the wet season. Pd was significantly correlated with pH and Eh. This study can help clarify the environmental geochemical process of PGEs in mangrove wetlands and has important scientific significance and practical value for the environmental protection and utilization of mangrove wetlands.

A systems approach framework for coastal management and its application in practice

Application of system approach framework for coastal zone management in Pärnu, SW Estonia Abstract Due to changes in atmospheric circulation and warmer winters, the frequency of strong westerly storms associated with high sea level in ice-free sea conditions has increased on the western coast of Estonia. This trend is especially dangerous for the sections of depositional seashores along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea such as Pärnu Bay and its surroundings. Pärnu is the largest city in SW Estonia being a popular summer resort with excellent sandy beaches and relevant infrastructure for tourism. Extreme events that may occur in the Pärnu Bay region are irregular extensive floods and sea ice attacks but also strong erosion of beaches. During the last 50 years, the city has suffered from two remarkably high storm surges and associated inundations. The aim of the paper was to analyze the best solutions for coastal zone management in Pärnu Bay area using a System Approach Framework (SAF). It is based on some new results of geomorphic surveys performed in the study area in 2015–2017, review of previous work as well as results from stakeholder meetings. Some formerly proposed flood defence projects and ideas were re-analyzed and new ideas were proposed to better inform the people about risks and reduce the damage in case of catastrophic events. Based on the analysis of the collected data and discussions with the stakeholders, we concluded that hard coastal protection measures would be too expensive and therefore not reasonable for implementation. Developing different kinds of adaptation measures and raising awareness of the people are the most applicable response options to high storm surges and extensive inundations in the Pärnu Bay region.

Cod and climate: a systems approach for sustainable fisheries management of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) in coastal Danish waters Abstract This study applied the Systems Approach Framework (SAF) to address the issue of declining Atlantic cod fishery in coastal areas. Interviews of 58 fishers from 26 harbours and meetings with national fisheries organisations and managers revealed the perception of an offshore movement of coastal cod. Numerical modelling based on fishing survey data did not substantiate these perceptions in the data-poor coastal waters. However, Data Storage Tag (DST) information combined with bottom sea water temperature data from the spatio-temporal hydrodynamic Baltic Sea Ice-Ocean Model showed changes in potential cod habitat distribution in the Skagerrak-Kattegat and western Baltic from 1979 to 2016. Subsequently, cod habitats were defined in three categories: (i) potentially suitable (T ≤ 12 °C); (ii) episodic (12 < T ≤ 16 °C); and (iii) unsuitable (T > 16 °C). The environmental changes were linked to the socio-economic component of cod fishery. Cod catches (weight and monetary value) were retrieved using logbook information and data from the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS, 2005–2016) and the Automatic Identification System (AIS, 2006-2016). General additive modelling significantly showed the largest proportion of catches took place in the potentially suitable habitat whereas catches were lower in the episodic habitat and rare in the unsuitable habitat. The results of this first large-scale SAF application are highly valuable for adapting existing fisheries management by: (i) providing information on habitat shrinkage for Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) based stock assessments; (ii) adding a spatio-temporal dimension for coastal productivity relative to the vessel-based Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system; and (iii) providing a predictive scenario simulation tool for sustainable management under changing environmental conditions.

Working together: collaborative decision making for sustainable Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Abstract Community involvement and genuine engagement with citizens is an important, integral element of the Systems Approach Framework (SAF). The SAF provides a structure for an Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) process using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates environmental, social and economic viability and well-being. An assessment of the SAF and its application with respect to citizen engagement and participation uncovered two main issues: (i) the implications of engaging stakeholders have not been fully understood and are still not an integral part of the SAF ICM process; and (ii) the need to include validation. This article sets out to address these issues. It explores the paradigm shift in government-citizen interaction that moves from a management “outputs”-based approach to a more collaborative partnership approach focused on “outcomes”. This shift necessitates a more robust public participation framework that is timely, iterative and genuinely inclusive. Without community and stakeholder “buy-in” it is difficult to achieve the behavioural change necessary to achieve sustainability. Engagement considerations should be addressed from the outset and throughout the process to the “Implementation” and “Monitoring and Evaluation” steps. Furthermore, this paper identifies the need to move beyond these steps to include validation in the SAF, especially when dealing with highly complex issues. In this way, citizens take ownership of the issue(s), participate in identifying solutions and strive to maintain sustainable development. This paper provides the necessary input to how the SAF can integrate credible public participation for outcomes that are more successful and lead to greater sustainability and improved social capital.

The systems approach framework for collaborative, science-based management of complex systems Abstract Sustainable management of coastal systems can only be achieved with an effective science-policy interface that integrates the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental protection, social progress and economic growth. The Systems Approach Framework (SAF) provides a structure to guide such a process by embracing the challenge of assessing complex systems for scenario simulations to support potential policy decisions. Based on applications of the SAF in six Baltic Sea case studies within the BONUS BaltCoast project, the SAF was revisited and further developed. Two additional steps were introduced partly to enhance implementation and decision validation and partly to facilitate the reiterative process with the addition of monitoring and evaluation. The SAF now includes six steps (Issue Identification, System Design, System Formulation, System Assessment, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation). A list of actions for each step clearly defines what needs to be done before progressing to the next SAF step. Activities within each step were improved to better integrate governance - citizen collaboration and improve the science-policy interface. Three auxiliary tools, developed in the BONUS BaltCoast project to support particular actions, were integrated in the different steps to facilitate application of the SAF by practitioners and scientists alike. The added focus on the stakeholder participation resulted in further actions being listed in the new steps to maintain stakeholder engagement and counteract stakeholder fatigue. The revised SAF is presented and discussed together with lessons learned from the different applications in five Baltic Sea study sites.

Establishing new bathing sites at the Curonian Lagoon coast: an ecological-social-economic assessment Abstract The large southern Baltic lagoons (Curonian, Vistula and Szczecin Lagoon) face a similar challenge, the need for economic, especially touristic development. This development is hampered by poor water quality, namely eutrophication with regular algae blooms and low water transparency and often insufficient bathing water quality. Therefore, beaches and bathing sites, one precondition for tourist development, are often lacking. Using the Curonian Lagoon as case study, we apply a Systems Approach Framework (SAF) and especially an Ecological-Social-Economic (ESE) assessment to analyse, whether it is reasonable to establish new beaches, against the background of an improved sewage treatment. In this systematic, stepwise and participatory Integrated Coastal Zone Management approach, we guide and support municipalities from the issue identification towards the final implementation by developing alternative scenarios, using model simulations and carrying out tourist surveys as well as supporting socio-economic studies. The present state of bathing water quality does allow opening a new bathing site with a beach at the lagoon and one town decided to do so. The socio-economic analyses did show that lagoon water quality and the possibility to go for a swim is not sufficiently important for tourists on the Curonian Spit, that opening a beach would make sense from an economic point of view. However, high lagoon water temperatures may help to extend the summer bathing season and a beach is regarded as additional attraction for tourists. A systematic involvement of stakeholders was imperative in this case study and we provide lessons learnt for a successful participatory process.

Ecological-social-economic assessment of zebra-mussel cultivation scenarios for the Oder (Szczecin) Lagoon Abstract The Systems Approach Framework with an integrated Ecological-Social-Economic assessment was applied to address the issue of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) farming in the large Oder (Szczecin) Lagoon, southern Baltic Sea. Heavy eutrophication hampers the use of the lagoon and zebra mussel farming is considered as new use and potential measure to improve water quality. Three alternative scenarios were developed in interaction with local stakeholders: 1) the production of mussels as fresh feed and meal on a commercial basis seemed not profitable, because of a limited market for fresh mussels (zoos, aquaculture) and low prices for organic feed. 2) Mussel cultivation to improve transparency and attractiveness of bathing waters near beaches had only a limited potential (0.2 m improvement of Secchi depth). A higher mussel biomass would increase the risk of temporary hypoxia. 3) Mussels farms for improving the environmental status (according to EU Water Framework Directive) by supporting macrophyte restoration were considered as the most promising scenario. Our model simulations suggested that as soon as a compensation for nutrient removal is considered, all mussel farm scenarios could cover the costs. Experiments and literature confirm that the conditions for an environmental friendly farming approach in the lagoon are suitable. Steps towards and problems associated with an implementation, e.g. invasion of Dreissena bugensis (quagga mussel), are discussed. Each step of the Ecological-Social-Economic assessment and major lessons learnt are documented in detail. Altogether, the approach turned out to be very suitable for this issue.