A HYBRID MULTI-CRITERIA AND OPTIMIZATION FRAMEWORK FOR COASTAL VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT UNDER RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS

Abstract

Coastal environments are subjected to multiple interacting hazards that necessitate scientifically informed management strategies capable of balancing effectiveness and economic feasibility. The present study proposes a hybrid framework integrating Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods with Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO) to support coastal vulnerability management and resource prioritization. Three MCDM approaches, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Weighted Sum Method (WSM), and Weighted Product Method (WPM), were used to estimate the relative significance of major coastal management components. Subsequently, BFO was used to identify optimal management configurations under predefined budgetary constraints. The analysis revealed that hydrodynamic forcing and coastal exposure exert comparatively greater influence on vulnerability reduction strategies than environmental quality and atmospheric forcing parameters. The applicability of the framework was further illustrated using representative coastal environments along the eastern coast of India exhibiting contrasting hazard characteristics. The proposed methodology provides an objective and flexible decision-support tool for improving coastal planning, prioritizing interventions, and enhancing the long-term sustainability of coastal systems.