PhD project title: Marine Protected Area Preservation: Exploration of Water System Improvement in Coastal Tourism Destinations for Coral Reefs’ Resilience

Supervisory team: Katarzyna Kujawa (WUR), Erik Horstman (WUR), Bart Vermeulen (WUR), Machiel Lamers (WUR), Huub Rijnaarts (WUR)

PhD project description: My research will focus on improving the coral reefs’ resilience to maintain MPA biodiversity through water system improvement, especially concerning wastewater quality. Suitable intervention to improve the existing water system, primarily focusing on wastewater improvement, is favorable in this research. Identifying the urban profile of tourism destinations is the entrance point of this research. In order to generate comprehensive research, stakeholder analysis is included for receiving knowledge about the interest and influence of relevant stakeholders to implement the strategy. Furthermore, development planning and policy are also explored to formulate suitable interventions for water system improvement.