Prioritising coastal zone management issues through fuzzy cognitive mapping approach

Area of Science:

• Coastal Zone Management
• Environmental Planning
• Stakeholder Engagement

Background:

• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) requires effective public participation.
• Building a shared understanding of stakeholder objectives is crucial for developing common coastal management strategies.
• Quantitative and semi-quantitative methods, like Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM), can facilitate this understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) to elucidate objectives and priorities of North Lebanon's coastal productive sectors.
• To formalize coastal zone perceptions and knowledge of these sectors.
• To investigate the potential of FCM as a tool to support coastal zone management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) as a primary tool.
• Organized five round table discussions: one for municipalities and one each for tourism, industry, fisheries, and agriculture sectors.
• Participants created cognitive maps to depict their views on the North Lebanon coastal zone.

Main Results:

• Analysis of cognitive maps identified numerous factors affecting the North Lebanon coastal zone.
• These factors were categorized into five major areas: governance, infrastructure, environment, intersectoral interactions, and sectoral initiatives.
• Common problems, expectations, and management objectives across all studied sectors were revealed.

Conclusions:

• Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) is an effective tool for uncovering stakeholder knowledge and perceptions.
• FCM aids in understanding the complex relationships influencing coastal zone management.
• The study highlights FCM's utility in achieving consensus for ICZM implementation.