Abstract:In this study, we used the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of a coastal region to generate risk maps showing vulnerability and potential hazards, and proposed design criteria for coastal defense and land use for the various kinds of risks faced. The Yunlin coast, a first-level protection area in mid-west Taiwan, was then used as an example to illustrate the proposed design criteria. The safety of the present coastal defenses and land use of the Yunlin coastal area was assessed, and coastal protection measures for hazard prevention were proposed based on the generated risk map. The results can be informative for future coastal management and the promotion of sustainable development of coastal zones.

A coastal erosion risk assessment was framed as the basis for the intervention of coastal adaptation strategies under time-variant scenarios. The framework was devised to assess the influence of coastal erosion on coastal defense, the coastal inundation induced by the erosion-induced malfunction of defense, and risks using a downscaling analysis and the mechanism of the compound hazard interaction, which are innovative and practical for the application of coastal management in Taiwan. In addition, the vulnerable socio-economy was also taken into consideration in risk assessment. The adaptive strategy is proposed in terms of the risk origins and time-variance of risk forecasts, and the risk origins were assessed based on the Fuzzy Delphi Method and the analytic hierarchy process instead of subjective consideration. Within the erosion-induced hazard and risk assessments, this study considered erosion rates, decreases in defense elevation due to land subsidence, and population development in time-variant scenario analyses to estimate risk forecasts. Furthermore, a case study of the Yunlin coastal area was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The presented results are informative for coastal hazard reduction and the promotion of the sustainable development of coastal zones.

In this study, we used the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of a coastal region to generate risk maps showing vulnerability and potential hazards, and proposed design criteria for coastal defense and land use for the various kinds of risks faced. The Yunlin coast: a first-level protection area in mid-west Taiwan, was then used as an example to illustrate the proposed design criteria. The safety of the present coastal defenses and land use of the Yunlin coastal area was assessed, and coastal protection measures for hazard prevention were proposed based on the generated risk map. The results can be informative for future coastal management and the promotion of sustainable development of coastal zones.