SMARTLAGOON: Innovative modelling approaches for predicting socio-environmental evolution in highly anthropized coastal lagoons

Abstract

Coastal lagoons are ecosystems with significant environmental and socio-economic value. However, these natural systems are especially vulnerable to climatic and anthropogenic pressures, such as intensive agriculture and extensive urbanization as a consequence of the tourist development. Despite the vulnerability and complexity of these ecosystems, there has been limited development of novel techniques which can provide real-time monitoring, analysis and management of these critical resources. Beyond being useful for policy-making procedures at multiple levels of granularity, such tools can increase local and citizen awareness of environmental impacts. This paper introduces the key concept behind the SMARTLAGOON project, which intends to develop a digital twin to build a systemic understanding of the socio-environmental inter-relationships affecting coastal lagoons and their ecosystem. Particularly, we focus on the main research activities carried out since the beginning of the project (January 1st, 2021), which are mainly based on initial mapping and reporting of the main stakeholders' needs and wishes in relation to the technological products to be developed in SMARTLAGOON. This will onset the initial development pathway, while additional stakeholder inputs during the project lifetime will help to further explore and prioritize the key developments, thus maximizing the relevance and impact of the Mar Menor's digital twin.