Development of a Protocol for a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Coastal Zone: Case Study and Preliminary Results in a Coastal Industrial Area in the Eastern Mediterranean
Amanda Bertana
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Your research is a contribution to thinking about what makes industrial development particularly coastal. It is suggested to continue the research in order to determine the direct and indirect economic benefits of industrial development in relation to numerous negative development effects. It would be interesting to determine at what stage of industrial and other development, especially tourism, the positive socio-economic effects on the local and wider community end.
Author Response
We would like to thank the reviewer for taking the time to review our manuscript and the precious feedback. The present paper is the first part of a suggested sustainable blue economy protocol and includes the preliminary results of our research. In a future publication we will present the detailed results of the application of the protocol and taking into account your suggestions we will focus on the direct and indirect economic benefits of industrial development and it's interlinkages with tourism. We have also enriched the list of our references, to further support the theoretical background of our manuscript.
Reviewer 2 Report
Overall the paper makes a contribution to the management of the Blue Economy. The topic is relevant and important, especially as the concept of the blue economy is in continuous development. All the pieces are in place, but they can be further developed. Some suggestions as to how are below.
The paper could be improved in the front end with attention to why those specific SDGs were chosen over others. It would also benefit from more nuanced attention to how the authors define Blue Economy as it relates to their specific area of study. A concrete example of what the authors mean in line 55 and 56 would be helpful. For example, how does the land use of the coastal zone differ between SDGs 1 and 9 or 13 and 14?
The paper would also benefit from a greater explanation of its rationale throughout. For example, why is the study area conducive to implementing this type of protocol? Would the protocol be conducive to everywhere? What is the rationale for the proposed process? A greater discussion on how the specific protocol applies to the implementation of the blue economy would also be useful in tying together all the pieces.
Overall, it just needs more detail and background information.
Author Response
We would like to thank the reviewer for taking the time to review our manuscript. The present paper is the first part of a suggested sustainable blue economy protocol and includes the preliminary results of our research. We have addressed the reviewers concerns for further development of some pieces and we have enriched our references.
As for the selection of the specific SDGs (1,7,9,13,14), they have been chosen because of their direct interaction with the blue economy activities. We agree with the reviewer's insightful suggestion and we will mention some more SDGs that could be further linked to the blue economy. The blue economy activities in the coastal zone of Elefsis Gulf are shipbuilding, industry, maritime and tourism. Sustainable blue economy in the study area is defined as the sustainable performance and coexistance of the above mentioned blue economy activities on the coastal zone. We agree with the the observation on the need for further explanation in lines 55 and 56. For example in the sectors of industry and tourism, the environmental pressures are different and sustainability can be achieved through the adoption of specific measures accordingly, such as with stricter and continious control of the atmospheric emissions of the industrial plants and the installation of energy and water saving systems in the hotels.
The land use of the coastal zone differs according to the activities tha are performed along the coast. The study area is special, as it combines the specific characteristics of industrial activity, cultural heritage and protected natural environment. As it is described in the aim of the paper, this protocol is developed for that type of coastal ecosystems and it could be applied to such ecosystems. The rationale is the formation of a protocol for sustainable blue economy for that type of coastal ecosystems, which will form at its final stage a decision-making tool that will be used to define the current capacity and the boundaries of a coastal ecosystem.
We would like to thank again the reviewer for the precious feedback on our manuscript.
