Evaluating the performance of Integrated Coastal Management in Quanzhou, Fujian, China

•We propose indicators and methodologies for the evaluation of ICM performance.•We validate the indicators and methodologies by a case study.•Proper indicators and measuring methods could be a useful tool kit to indicate the performance of ICM.

The Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) framework has been increasingly adopted in coastal cities of China. Using indicators to monitor and measure the progress and effectiveness of ICM implementation is a key step towards adaptive management of the ICM process in the long-term perspective. However, proper methods of evaluating the ICM performance are still lacking. An evaluation method based on assessment of indicators is suggested and applied to Quanzhou in this study. 32 indicators adapted to China's coastal cities are developed, and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method is employed as the weighting method to synthesize the evaluation results. Key ICM performance indicators are identified and specific suggestions are proposed based on the evaluation results, which would be useful for future decision-making in the ICM governance. The correlations between ICM governance, coastal environmental and socioeconomic sustainability are analyzed using the “Drive force-Pressure-Status-Impact-Response (DPSIR)” model. The evaluation indicators and methodologies could be applied to other coastal cities for promoting the progress of ICM towards the goal of sustainability.