Cruz, C.J.; Mendoza, E.; Silva, R., and Chávez, V., 2019. Assessing degrees of anthropization on the coast of Mexico from ecosystem conservation and population growth data. In: Silva, R.; Martínez, M.L.; Chávez, V., and Lithgow, D. (eds.), Integrating Biophysical Components in Coastal Engineering Practices. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 92, pp. 136-144. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

This paper presents the application of a methodology in which the degree of anthropization is evaluated and related to the local environmental, morphological and demographic variables. The main goal is to achieve an integrated diagnosis of the current conditions of the coastal zone. The degree of anthropization was estimated using five variables: land use, anthropization on river banks, presence industry, presence and type of ports and presence of artificial structures. It was proposed to perform an anthropization assessment on coastal compartments, identified from satellite imagery. As a result, for each unit of analysis the degree of anthropization was found and classified as High, Moderate, Low or None. Then, the ecological variable was evaluated as the presence or absence of coastal ecosystems. The morphological variable was analysed according to the historical coastline displacement rates, and the demographic variable was determined from the population growth rates of the coastal communities within the compartments. The combination of these data allows an evaluation of the loss of the natural state of the coast. A case study on the Mexican coast was also carried out. The methodology can be applied at local and global scales, being accurate, repeatable and easily updated.