Environmental Sensitivity of Coastal Areas to the Water Environmental Incidents: A Case Study in the Southeastern Coastal Region of Vietnam

The environmental sensitivity of coastal areas is attracting significant attention from researchers because it can predict the consequences of water environmental incidents. Environmental sensitivity is usually estimated based on various criteria that are related to specific aspects of the physical or environmental conditions in an area combined with its socioeconomic conditions. The main objective of this study was to develop a suitable set of criteria that covers all three aspects, namely, physical, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions, to support sensitivity assessments and zoning in the southeast coastal region of Vietnam, which is the most dynamic developing coastal region in the country. In the study, multiple-criteria decision-making was used to develop the coastal environmental sensitivity criteria and calculate the criteria weights. Remote sensing was used for data collection and geographical information system for the assessment and zoning of the study areas. A set of eight suitable criteria were proposed: coastal type, coast slope, species, nature reserve, population density, vulnerable population, tourism, and aquaculture, with optimal weighting for each criterion was proposed. A thorough site survey with data collection was then conducted in 27 sub-regions of the study area. The proposed criteria were applied to evaluate and zone the areas into four sensitivity levels: low, moderate, high, and extreme, which accounted for 7.41%, 29.63%, 37.04%, and 25.93% of the study area, respectively. Practical and effective solutions were proposed for 17 sub-regions with high and extreme environmental sensitivity. The research results are expected to enhance knowledge of coastal environmental hazards and provide a reference for sustainability decision-making and planning.