A Systems Approach to Identify Indicators for Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Abstract

RESUMEN:El objetivo de la tesis es establecer un marco metodológico para la identificación de indicadores GIZC orientados a problemas y temas de interés, para contextos geográficos específicos. La tesis parte de la idea de que los sistemas de indicadores, utilizados para medir el estado de la costa y la implementación de proyectos de Gestión Integrada de las Zonas Costeras (GIZC), deben orientarse a problemas concretos de la zona de estudio y que su validez debe ser comprobada no sólo por la opinión de los expertos, sino también por la percepción de los usuarios y por el análisis estadístico cuantitativo

ABSTRACT:The problem addressed by this thesis is the identification of site-specific and problem-oriented sets of indicators, to be used to determine baseline conditions and to monitor the effect of ICZM initiatives. The approach followed integrates contributions from coastal experts and stakeholders, systems theory, and the use of multivariate analysis techniques in order to provide a cost-effective set of indicators, oriented to site-specific problems, with a broad system perspective. A systems approach, based on systems thinking theory and practice, is developed and tested in this thesis to design models of coastal systems, through the identification of the system's components and relations, using the contribution of experts and stakeholders. Quantitative analysis of the system is then carried out, assessing the contribution of stakeholders and using multivariate statistics (principal components analysis), in order to understand the structure of the system, including relationships between variables. The simplification of the system (reduction of the number of variables) is one of the main outcomes, both in the participatory system's design and in the quantitative multivariate analysis, aiming at a cost-effective set of key variables to be used as indicators for coastal management.