Abstract: Economic developments in coastal zone in Hai Phong city such as industrial zones, seaports have significant impacts on living space and environment of ecosystems. Especially in climate change theme as the rising of average temperature and global mean sea level, the ecosystems here are at high risk of vulnerability. Vulnerability assesment of ecosystems is very important to detect the risk of future ecosystem degradation, which helps to define the timely measures to preserve and restore them.
Based on the study of natural and socio-economic conditions affecting the environment of ecosystem, the research developed indicators to evaluate the vulnerability of ecosystems which are divided into three groups: sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity. These indicators after normalization are the inputs for mapping vulnerability assessment of ecosystems through GIS tools. The vulnerability are divided into five levels: very low, low, medium, high and very high.
Water vulnerability assessment in karst environments: a new method of defining protection areas using a multi-attribute approach and GIS tools (EPIK method)