Percorrer por autor "Oliveira, Elaine"
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- Developing a management-based ranking of beaches from a worldwide perspectivePublication . Oliveira, Elaine; Newton, Alice; Botero, CamiloThe research aimed to develop a robust and objective framework, based on management effectiveness, to rank beaches worldwide by the integration of indicators and the assessment of the socio-ecological system quality. The methodology involved a critical analysis of web-based rankings to collect the information on how they are made and the indicators used. In addition, a survey was conducted in the Science Direct database to identify the indicators used in beach quality assessments by the scientific literature. The indicators identified were evaluated according to their usefulness for beach management following the SMART criteria. The indicators that passed the evaluation were grouped into domains and categories following the official classification by the literature. Moreover, a measurement technique and a 5-point rating score for each indicator was suggested based on these same articles. Weights were calculated for different beach types using analytical hierarchical process and focus group. The quality value of each beach was calculated through equations after normalization, and the results were output in graphs inspired by CS and OHI. The results show that web-based rankings are mostly subjective and that beaches on these lists are not directly compared to one another. Moreover, they are exploring the visual appealing aspect, which is clear by the importance of indicators (color of water/sand are the most recurrent). The scientific literature, on the other hand, despite incorporating a wider set of indicators, are also focusing on recreation and user satisfaction. The indicators chosen to compose the framework are distributed into four domains (recreation, protection, conservation and sanitary) that cover main functions of a beach and aim to see it from a holistic view. The allocation of weights allowed respecting the differences provoked by distinct urbanization levels, granting the safeguard of the characteristics of every beach type, while the rating score helped to reduce the subjectivity by ensuring that the scale of comparison is always the same. The application of the framework on Portuguese beaches validated the methodology and showed the framework fulfills its purpose of ranking and pointing out the strengths and weakness of every beach.
- Development of a management-based ranking of beachesPublication . Oliveira, Elaine; Newton, Alice; Botero, Camilo M.Beach rankings are very frequent on the internet; however, the information provided on how these rankings are made is often unclear and their content is mostly subjective. In addition, the vast majority of these rankings do not take into account the fact that beaches are coastal eco-systems. The aim of the research was to develop an objective framework to rank the quality of beaches worldwide. The framework integrates indicators to assess the socio-ecological system quality and can be used as a basis for effective beach management. The methodology involved the collection, evaluation and grouping of indicators into domains and categories. Moreover, a measurement technique and a 5-point rating score for each indicator was used. Weights were calculated for different beach types using an analytical hierarchical process and the methodology was validated by a focus group of beach management experts. The quality value of each beach was calculated through equations and the results were presented in graphs inspired by the Circles of Sustainability and the Ocean Health Index. The theoretical application was tested on Portuguese beaches. The framework presents a holistic assessment of four domains: Recreation, Protection, Conservation and Sanitary. The resulting Beach Ranking Framework (BRF) is an objective, holistic framework designed to communicate with society, unlike the existing beach quality assessments.