A Conflict-Coordination Framework for Constructing Living Shorelines: A Case Study of Ecological Seawalls

Jiali Gu, Xiaoran Wei, Yu Han, Jian Zeng (), Miao Hu and Zheng Gong
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Jiali Gu: Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design), Hangzhou 310020, China
Xiaoran Wei: Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design), Hangzhou 310020, China
Yu Han: Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design), Hangzhou 310020, China
Jian Zeng: Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design), Hangzhou 310020, China
Miao Hu: Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design), Hangzhou 310020, China
Zheng Gong: College of Harbour, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: While coastal zones support economic and social development, they also face prominent contradictions between shoreline utilization and ecological protection. This study proposed an innovative conflict-coordination framework for constructing living shorelines, aiming to identify and mitigate multi-dimensional conflicts in coastal engineering. The framework introduced a four-dimensional conflict analysis structure encompassing policy, social environment, ecological environment, and technical capacity, thereby extending beyond traditional single-dimensional or ecological-only assessments. Furthermore, it integrated the Comprehensive Conflict Index (CCI) with a multi-objective coordination model that couples three core indicators (e.g., whole-life-cycle carbon emissions, comprehensive impact intensity, and the living shoreline index) to achieve synergistic optimization among lower carbon emission, less human intervention, and higher ecological function objectives. Applied to an ecological restoration and seawall ecologization project in Zhenhai District, Ningbo, the results demonstrated that the framework helped constructing living shorelines by effectively reducing comprehensive conflict intensity with 21.2%, decreasing total carbon emissions with 60.2%, and significantly improving both the living shoreline index and multi-objective coordination level. Compared to traditional coastal zone assessment methods, these findings highlighted the differentiated advantages of the proposed framework in quantifying conflict sources, enhancing coordination among multi-objectives, and providing scientific support for living shoreline construction and sustainable coastal management.

Keywords: living shorelines; conflict-coordination framework; ecological seawalls; whole-life-cycle carbon emission; coastal restoration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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