Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Assessment: A Study of Karnataka, India

Abstract

Coastal regions are changing due to environmental pressures and anthropogenic impacts such as coastal development and planning, ultimately becoming sensitive to unpredicted natural and manmade calamities. The scientific assessment requires an understanding of the relative vulnerability of the coast across a region, and, for this purpose, vulnerability indices are often used. This study is an integrated coastal vulnerability index for the Karnataka coastline, incorporating both physical variables and socio-economic indicators. To study the overall vulnerability of a region at the taluka level using the typical physical variables characterizing coastal vulnerability e.g. historical shoreline change, rate of relative sea-level change, coastal regional elevation, coastal slope, mean tidal range, significant wave height and geomorphology. Physical indicators are then combined with the outcomes of an assessment of socio-economic vulnerability developed using population and tourist density and education as indicators like human development index (HDI), composite taluka development index (CTDI) and urban development index (UDI), resulting in a more holistic assessment of vulnerability. The resulting vulnerability map describes the taluka as most vulnerable to physical indicators and also provides information on the nature of vulnerability in terms of its physical and socio-economic components intending to inform adaptation decision-making.