Integration of DPSIR framework and TOPSIS model reveals insight into the coastal zone ecosystem health

Establishing a management framework for coastal ecosystem health in a resource-based city contributes to curtail coastal environmental deterioration. In this study, the indicator system (34 indicators) for assessing ecosystem health in Zhanjiang Bay Coastal Zone (ZJB), the southernmost coastal zone of China, was developed according to the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. The level of ecosystem health in ZJB was assessed from 2010 to 2018 by the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Results indicated that the ecosystem health in ZJB was generally at sub-healthy level. Ecosystem health index of each DPSIR element, i.e., “driver subsystem”, “pressure subsystem”, “state subsystem”, “impact subsystem”, and “response subsystem” varied greatly from 2010 to 2018. The grey correlation analysis suggested that the 7 key factors affecting the ecosystem health of the ZJB included industrial solid-waste generation per unit area, ZJB water area, marine catch per capita, marine education cooperation, length of coastal erosion, frequency of typhoon storm surge disaster, and population density. Also, the “driver subsystem” and “response subsystem” are closely associated with the ecosystem health of the ZJB. Eventually, the framework of integrated management strategies was proposed to curb the destruction of the ZJB ecosystem health. This study provided a scientific theoretical basis for the mathematical evaluation of sustainable coastal ecosystem, which highlighted the management insights into coastal ecosystem health issues. [Display omitted]