P.P. Wong

Coastal tourism development in Southeast Asia : relevance and lessons for coastal zone management

The increasing demand for resorts has brought about substantial changes in the spatial and structural patterns of coastal tourism development in Southeast Asia. While unplanned resort development has resulted and will continue to have negative impacts on the coastal environment, integrated resort development will increase significantly in future. Islands, which often are ideal locations for resorts, are more vulnerable because of their limited resources and size. Coastal tourism development has often insufficiently understood the coastal environment. The tourism experience provides valuable lessons for coastal zone management: the necessity for Environmental Impact Assessment, management of increasing tourist numbers, evaluation of small-scale resort development, consideration of conservation, defining and revising planning standards, and aiming for sustainable development.

Residents' Perception of Tourism Impacts: A Case Study of Homestay Operators in Dachangshan Dao, North-East China

ABSTRACT Dachangshan Dao represents one of Chinas latest moves to develop tourism in the coastal zone. This paper examines how homestay operators on Dachangshan Dao perceive the tourism impact on their community and how their social demographics influence their perception towards tourism. Using factor analysis the impacts on the local community perceived by the homestay operator were condensed into seven factors: economic impacts, the interaction between tourism and other sectors, life quality improvement, general physical environment deterioration, beach degradation, sea water pollution, and interruption to quiet life. Concurrently, all respondents were segmented into four groups according to social demographics (gender, age, education level and occupation) by cluster analysis and the relationship between seven factors concerning tourisms impacts and those four cluster groups with different social demographics were established.

Where Have All the Beaches Gone? Coastal Erosion In The Tropics

From a physical geography perspective, tropical coasts are characterised by coral reefs, mangroves and carbonate beaches on atolls and low reef islands. They face threats not only from sea level rise, but also from human activities that destroy mangroves, degrade coral reefs and accelerate beach erosion. Physical conditions in the tropics are suitable for the ideal tourist beach. Conceptually, the tourist coast can be considered as the integration of a physical system (the coast) and a human system (tourism). Studies have been carried out on various types of tourist coasts in Southeast Asia. For many atoll island states, sea level rise is more than just a threat to their tourism; it also determines their survival. In recent years, assessments of their vulnerability and adaptation have favoured a more integrative approach of physical and human sciences. Hopefully, this should result in a better analytical tropical geography that could play an important role in reducing coastal erosion and assist the small island states.

Scenarios for coastal vulnerability assessment

Coastal vulnerability assessments tend to focus mainly on climate change and especially on sea-level rise. Assessment of the influence of nonclimatic environmental change or socioeconomic change is less well developed and these drivers are often completely ignored. Given that the most profound coastal changes of the twentieth century due to nonclimate drivers are likely to continue through the twenty-first century, this is a major omission. It may result in not only overstating the importance of climate change but also overlooking significant interactions of climate change and other drivers. To support the development of policies relating to climate change and coastal management, integrated assessments of climatic change in coastal areas are required, including the effects of all the relevant drivers. This chapter explores the development of scenarios (or ‘plausible futures’) of relevant climate and nonclimate drivers that can be used for coastal analysis, with an emphasis on the nonclimate drivers. It shows the importance of analyzing the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise in a broader context of coastal change and all its drivers. This will improve the analysis of impacts, key vulnerabilities, and adaptation needs and, hence, inform climate and coastal policy. Stakeholder engagement is important in the development of scenarios, and the underlying assumptions need to be explicit, transparent, and open to scientific debate concerning their uncertainties/realism and likelihood.

The geomorphological basis of beach resort sites— Some Malaysian examples

Abstract The erosion problem faced by many beach resorts can often be attributed to the omission or inadequate consideration of the coastal geomorphology of the resort sites. This paper evaluates, on a geomorphological basis, the existing and potential beach resort sites on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The evaluation of the aspects of the coastal environment relevant to the resort sites include the beach, backshore, nearshore zone, hinterland, vegetation, rivers and monsoons. Several types of beach resort sites can be identified: zetaform bays with a protected upcoast curve in the lee of a headland; non-zetaform bays which are usually small; barrier beaches which are straight and exposed; low linear coasts; sandy spits; and estuaries. This typology can be used as a guide for future resort development.

Impact of a sea level rise on the coasts of Singapore: preliminary observations

Abstract Singapore is an island state with important centres of population, industries, commerce, ports and airports concentrated in its coastal areas of less than 2 m in elevation. Although tidal records for almost 20 yr do not show any increase in sea level, this paper considers and examines the possible impact of a sea level rise of one metre in Singapore. To date, the government has not announced any project relating to sea level rise. Specific research needs are difficult to forecast but are likely to be in three areas: coastal protection measures; and the developed or populated areas and reclaimed land; anti-salt intrusion measures for coastal reservoirs: and flood-prevention measures for major canals.

Still vulnerable to killer tsunamis.

WE WISH TO RETRACT OUR REPORT (1) IN WHICH we report that β–N-acetylglucosamine-serine can be biosynthetically incorporated at a defined site in myoglobin in Escherichia coli. Regrettably, through no fault of the authors, the lab notebooks are no longer available to replicate the original experimental conditions, and we are unable to introduce this amino acid into myoglobin with the information and reagents currently in hand. We note that reagents and conditions for the incorporation of more than 50 amino acids described in other published work from the Schultz lab are available upon request. ZHIWEN ZHANG, JEFF GILDERSLEEVE, YU-YING YANG, RAN XU, JOSEPH A. LOO, SEAN URYU, CHI-HUEY WONG, PETER G. SCHULTZ* The University of Texas at Austin, Division of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Austin, TX 78712, USA. Chemical Biology Section, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA. Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA. 6330 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77005, USA. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1569, USA. University of California, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

Singapore — tourism development plans

Abstract P.P. Wong of the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore, compares the recommendations of two reports on tourism development - Tourism Product Development Plan prepared by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Tourism Development in Singapore prepared by Pannell, Kerr, Forster. The reports provide a framework for Singapore government tourism planning aimed at rectifying the recent decrease in the level of visitor arrivals.

Adaptive use of a rock coast for tourism — Mactan Island, Philippines

Abstract Cebu and the adjacent limestone island of Mactan constitute the second most popular tourist destination in the Philippines after Manila. The more exposed southeast side of Mactan has a low rock coast with limited sandy beaches and two lagoons. Since the 1970s, this coast has experienced significant change due to resort development. Based on a survey of the resorts, three types of modification to the rock coast can be identified. The early stage of modification involved the least amount of change to the rock coast. The existing limited sandy beaches were used and sea walls were built where necessary. The middle stage of modification witnessed a variety of coastal structures built to retain the beaches, together with the use of imported sand for beach nourishment. Groins and breakwaters were deployed in various ways to create different resort layouts. The final stage of modification was the excavation of the rock coast and the creation of new and artificial beaches. Mactans experience shows the po...

Satellite Observations of Coastal Changes in ACEH After the 2004 Tsunami

The December 2004 Sumatra earthquake triggered a massively destructive tsunami that affected several coastal areas in the Indian Ocean. In this study, very high resolution IKONOS satellite images acquired before and after the tsunami were used to study the changes of the coastal morphology in the Northwestern coast of Sumatra. The coasts were eroded during the tsunami. At some stretches of the coast, the coastline receded by as much as 500 m. About 13 months after the tsunami, new beaches were formed at many areas along the coastline. The widths of the newly formed beaches exceeded those of the pre-tsunami coast. In areas where anthropogenic modifications have occurred before the tsunami, the coastline remained eroded after 13 months and no evidence of recovery was observed.