An integrative and participatory coastal habitat mapping framework for sustainable development actions in the United Arab Emirates

Coastal habitat mapping is a potentially powerful enabling tool to inform the design of strategies and actions in coastal zone planning and management, biodiversity conservation and more recently for blue carbon accounting. Habitat mapping is typically carried out by experts in remote sensing and geographical information systems, and rarely integrates stakeholders' local ecological knowledge. To address a key knowledge gap in a previously unmapped coastal region of the Arabian Gulf, we applied a mixed-methods habitat mapping framework that integrates conventional remote sensing methods with shared knowledge from participatory mapping with local stakeholders. Using methodological pluralism, an accurate and cost-effective coastal habitat map was produced that had local relevance, facilitated knowledge exchange, considered socio-ecological factors, and incorporated spatial details that would have been absent or under-represented with conventional remote sensing methods. We demonstrate the relevance of the coastal habitat map as an enabler of actions that address multiple local and global sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policy targets for the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Automated summary

Coastal habitat mapping is a powerful tool for informing strategies in coastal planning, biodiversity conservation, and blue carbon accounting. By integrating traditional remote sensing methods with local stakeholders' knowledge, a mixed-methods habitat mapping framework filled a knowledge gap in the Arabian Gulf region, producing an accurate and cost-effective coastal habitat map with local relevance and socio-ecological considerations. This map enables actions to address sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policy targets in the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates.