USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS FOR INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENTCASE STUDY: THE CORAL REEFS IN THE NORTHWESTERN RED SEA (HURGHADA, EGYPT*

摘要

Remote sensing is very suitable for coral reef monitoring as it provides information about theconfiguration and composition of the coral reef; enables the monitoring of the biophysicalparameters of the seas and oceans in which the coral reefs occur; and supports the detection ofchanges over time of these elements. This remote sensing-derived data is integrated in aGeographic Information System (GIS) together with additional environmental information. TheGIS not only forms an inventory of all available information but is also used as a tool to analyzethis information in order to support integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). The example isgiven of a risk assessment map constructed for the coral reefs offshore Hurghada, Egypt,indicating the coastal zones most endangered by human activities. It is shown that about 86% ofthe marine, coastal area near Hurghada is at medium to high risk of being deteriorated.