LAUSR

Abstract Urban development based on the “carrying capacity” of its resources and environment is a key principle for China’s green development stated in its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020). It is, however, difficult to understand the carrying capacity especially in coastal and marine areas. A Pressure–Support (PS) framework was designed to illustrate the relationships of pressures and support and the integrated carrying capacity of a given coastal and marine area. A PS index was then developed based on the framework to apply to a case study in the coastal and marine areas of Guangxi Province, China. The evaluation results showed a decreasing marine carrying capacity trend and indicate major pressures from land reclamation, fishing, coastal industry, port construction and tourism activities. This case study demonstrates a practical approach to disentangling complex information around the carrying capacity of coastal areas, which could be an effective tool for facilitating related policy making in sustainable coastal and marine development.