Toward integrated coastal special economic zones: A review of agro-marine industry, renewable energy, and circular economy synergies

Abstract

• Comprehensive review of 218 studies on agro-marine, renewable energy, and circular economy synergies. • First integrative framework for Coastal Economic Zones linking food, energy, and ecosystem resilience. • Identifies research gaps, regional differences, and emerging trends in coastal sustainability. • Proposes roadmap for low-carbon, inclusive, and community-driven coastal development. • Provides policy insights for emerging economies with global applicability. Coastal Special Economic Zones (CSEZs) are increasingly promoted as engines of blue growth and coastal development, yet their implementation often remains fragmented across agro-marine production systems, energy provision, and resource management strategies. While existing studies have examined agro-marine industries, renewable energy deployment, and circular economy practices in coastal contexts, an integrated synthesis explicitly framed within CSEZs remains limited. This review addresses this gap by synthesizing peer-reviewed literature on agro-marine–oriented CSEZs to identify key patterns, challenges, and opportunities for integrated coastal development. Using a structured narrative review approach, 218 peer-reviewed articles were screened and analyzed through an inductive thematic synthesis. The literature was organized into four thematic domains: CSEZs, agro-marine industry development, coastal renewable energy utilization, and coastal circular economy strategies. Across these domains, the review synthesizes points of agreement, differences, emerging themes, and critical research gaps. The findings indicate that integrated CSEZ designs, embedding agro-marine value chains, renewable energy enablement, and circular economy principles within coherent governance and spatial planning frameworks, can enhance climate resilience, reduce environmental pressures, and support inclusive coastal livelihoods. This review presents a structured integrative framework that clarifies how agro-marine production systems, renewable energy enablement, and circular economic strategies interact within CSEZs, providing a conceptual foundation to inform future empirical research, comparative assessment, and policy design in emerging coastal economies.

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