Coastal Management

Coastal Management

1. Hard Enginering

   • Seawalls Massive, made of rocks or concrete, used to absorb waves. Some types can act as Baffles
     • Advantages: Traditional solution to protect valuable resources, high-risk property or densely populated areas
     • Disadvantages:Very costly, foundations easily undermined of built on beaches, or where LSD operates
   • Groynes
     • Rock or wooden types, hold beach material threatened by LSD erosion
       • Advantages: Low capital costs and repaired relatively easily
         • Disadvantages: Need regular maintenance. Cause scour downdrift and have wider impacts
   • Gabions
     • Wire cages holding smaller rocks
       • Advantages: Cheaper version of above
         • Disadvantages:Relatively lightweight and small scale solution
   • Offshore bars (artificial reefs)
     • Reduce power of waves offshore
       • Advantages: Mimic natural bars and reefs. Can be built of waste material
         • Disadvantages: Possible ecological impacts and may not work at large scale
   • Rip-rap (rock armour)
     • Very large rocks in front of sea walls or cliffs to absorb waves
     • Advantages: Effective and prevents large- scale undermining
       • Disadvantages: No longer a relatively cheap option. May move in severe weather.

2. Soft Enginering

   • Beach nourishment Sand pumped or transported to replace losses by LSD
     • Advantages: Appears ‘natural looking’ process
       • Disadvantage: Expensive and may soon erode. Possible ecological effects
   • ‘Do nothing’
     • Land no longer worth defending
       • Advantage: Saves expenditure on defence
       • Disadvantage: May allow problems to get worse.
   • ‘Red-lining’ or zone management
     • Withdrawal or prevention of planning permission for new development
       • Advantage: Cost effective in long term
     • Disadvantage: Unpopular with residents and business. Politically tough

3. Sustainable Management

   • Managed retreat: Incentives given through grants/buyouts to encourage re- location and‘set-back’schemes
     • Advantages: Cost effective (as it saves construction costs) in longer term. May help reduce tides in estuary environments
       • Disadvantages: Difficult to argue politically if residents involved
   • Coastal resilience (ecosystems)
     • Partial flooding allows salt marsh and wetlands to adjust to sea water. Allowing erosion in some places helps sand dunes develop in others
       • Advantages: Very cost effective and environmentally valuable. Allows conservation of bird life especially
         • Disadvantages: Loss of agriculturally productive land. Does this work on a large scale?
   • Shoreline management plans
     • Detailed consultation getting local groups to work together to find best solution for each littoral sub-cell
       • Advantages: Solutions tailored to specific places and particular needs of local community
         • Disadvantages: May be seen as delaying tactic by those who want action now
   • Coastal Resilence
     • Coastal resilience means building the ability of a community to 'bounce back' after hazardous events
     • Advantages: Cost effective
     • Disadvantages: Loss of agriculture land