An Integrated Approach to Coastal Zone Management to Control Development and Ensure Sustainability in a Rapidly Increasing Coastal Urban Environment: The Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Reckless construction and overextraction of resources have placed tremendous stress on the Sultanate of Oman's coastal ecosystems at Al-Batinah. The rate of sea level rise (SLR) intensifies under the multiple effects of environmental and social pressure. A projected 2 m SLR, for example, would inundate 200 km ² of land and impact the Sultanate's entire socioeconomic growth cycle and coastal ecology. The coastal land-use impacts, calculated through Landsat satellite images and census data, are used to explain the effect of SLR on coastal land uses and ecosystems. The Sultanate of Oman's comprehensive coastal zone management (CZM) planning and practices have limitations when seeking to reduce the burden on coastal system-linked socioeconomic growth and environmental issues. The study documented in this article addresses the challenges of the Sultanate's CZM practices and proposes an integrated coastal zone sustainability management framework.