geo - coast -> case studies

• MANAGING THE COAST : HOLDERNESS -> East Riding of Yorkshire Council developed an ICZM, launched in 2002.

  • involved over 80 organisations, called ’Towards a Sustainable Coast’. - based on Uk gov’s principles for coastal management in England, includes : taking a holistic approach, pursuing adaptive management, working with natural processes, adopting a long-term perspective
• HOLDERNESS : ICZM used to develop Flamborough Head to Gibraltar Point SMP (shoreline management plan), published in 2011. - Flamborough Head and Gibraltar Point are northern and southern limits of major sediment cell on England’s east coast.
• Flamborough Head to SMP (Shoreline Management Plan) : - sets out policy for managing coastline and responding to coastal erosion (and flood risks) over the next 100 years. - assesses potential erosion and flood risks, then identifies sustainable coastal defence and management options, which take into account influences and needs of human, natural and historic environments (includes existing defences and adjacent coastal areas)
• EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL : worked with number of players & stakeholders in developing SMP, including : - National government agencies : Environmental Agency, Natural England. - Local government : Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire Council. - Stakeholders in economy : National Farmers Union. - Environmental stakeholders : English Heritage
• PLAN FOR HOLDERNESS : CBA and EIA are carried out. the economic assessment (CBA) identified whether : - benefits clearly outweighed costs. - benefits marginally outweighed costs. - costs clearly outweighed benefits.
• Along the undefended parts of the coast, the ‘do nothing’ policy has no costs
• However, there will be economic losses (land, buildings etc.)
• Benefits

  Outweigh costs of continuing to protect Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea
• Economic benefit of holding the line at Mappleton similar to cost
• Spurn point will be allowed to evolve, requires minimal costs
• EIA : decides whether environmental quality will improve or worsen, as a result of different options for managing coast. - decision under SMP to ‘hold the line’ for current defences at Dimlington and Easington gas terminals. - EIA for coastal protection works recommended current protection scheme of rock revetment made up of large granite boulders (approx. 1km long)
• WIDER ISSUES : WINNERS AND LOSERS -> many of world’s coastal zones vulnerable to flooding or erosion (face threats from range of factors). - different players involved : local authorities, homeowners, environmental pressure groups etc. - as decisions are made, some people bound to come out on top, whilst others lose out
• WINNERS AND LOSERS : over next few decades, UK faces difficult decisions about the best way to manage coast. - farmland and isolated houses are likely to remain unprotected. - councils and businesses often disagree about best approach. - conflicts arise when coastal defences in one place have a negative impact elsewhere along coast. - delays with coast protection
• MANAGING THE COAST - ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY : considers : is it the right method (what would work best). - is it achievable. - is it within budget. - what are the risks
• ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY : does coastline include sites which are protected e.g national nature reserves. - Flamborough Head and Spurn Head both defined as Heritage Coasts (due to value of their landscape). - Flamborough Head is also a Special Area of Conservation
• LAND USE & VALUE : what is the coast used for and how much is the land worth. - much of the Holderness coastline consists of agricultural land. where the coastline is not protected it will continue to be lost to the sea. - agricultural land is classified from Grades 1-5 (1 - excellent and 5 - very poor. it is estimated that by 2025, approximately 160 hectares of grade 3 and 4 land will be lost to erosion
• IMPACTS ON COASTAL PROCESSES : doing nothing means coastal processes continue uninterrupted. by allowing Flamborough Head to continue to erode, sediment continues to be supplied to other parts of the coastline. - holding the line at Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea means that erosion is prevented here - thus interrupting the sediment supply further south. the same happens at Mappleton, Dimlington and Easington - defended areas likely to become promontories and beaches may become narrower
• POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC REASONS : agriculture is a key employer in area, many jobs depend on it. - tourism is another key industry along the coast, major contributor to local economy. - most coastal villages will not be at risk of erosion over lifetime of SMP, but some individual properties are. approximately 37 homes at risk of disappearing into sea by 2025
• POLITICAL REASONS : costs have to be acceptable to the government of the day, and often something has to be seen to be ‘done’. ‘do nothing’ may be a reasonable option, but it’s rarely acceptable to those affected
• CYCLONE SIDR : 15th NOV 2007

  • tropical cyclone (category 4 storm)
  • low pressure (966-918mb)
  • powerful wind (200-260 kmph)
  • monsoon rains
  • strong rainfall from cyclone
  • 6m high waves
• PRIMARY IMPACTS :

  • over 680,000 hectares of crops damaged
  • 1.5 million damaged homes
  • 4234 dead and missing
  • 55,000 people injured
  • 8075km of road damaged
  • total cost estimated to be $1.7 billion
• SECONDARY IMPACTS :

  • high winds and floods damaged housing/roads/bridges and other infrastructure
  • electricity supplies and communications were knocked out, and roads and waterways became impassable
  • drinking water was contaminated by debris, and many freshwater sources were inundated with saltwater
  • sanitation infrastructure was destroyed, increasing risk of disease
• SEA LEVEL RISE - KIRIBATI :

  • islands are low-lying and mangrove atolls, only 1 metre or less above sea level in most places
• WHY ARE SEA LEVELS RISING :

  • global warming (avg global temperatures rose by 0.85 degrees from 1880 to 2012)
  • polar ice sheets are melting as well as glaciers
  • thermal expansion
• WHAT NEXT FOR KIRIBATI :

  • land purchased in Fiji will be used in future for agriculture and fish farming projects, to guarantee nation’s food security
  • if necessary, people could move from Kiribati to Fiji
  • gov has launched a ‘migration with dignity’ policy to allow people to apply for jobs in neighbouring countries eg New Zealand
• COASTAL FLOODING - BANGLADESH :

  • 46% of country’s population lives less than 10 metres above sea level
  • world’s most densely populated country (2015 - 169 million)
  • lies on floodplains of 3 major rivers
  • almost every year, huge areas of country floods as Himalayan snowmelt adds to monsoon rains and high tides in Bay of Bengal
  • between March and May, violent thunderstorms produce strong southernly winds of 160km per hour, which bring in 6 metre high waves from Bay of Bengal to swamp coastal areas
• INCREASING COASTAL FLOOD RISK - SUBSIDENCE :

  • clearance and drainage of more than 50 large islands in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river delta
  • islands used to be forested, but now are clear and being used to grow rice to feed the population
  • 1960s/70s : large earth embankments built around islands to protect them against tidal and storm surges
  • however, this has prevented the natural deposition of sediment that maintained island’s height
  • now, islands are fast submerging and millions of people are at increased risk of flooding if embankments give way
• INCREASING COASTAL FLOOD RIKS - REMOVING VEGETATION :

  • the Sundarbans forest helped take sting out of Cyclone Sidr, but recent satellite studies show that 71% of Bangladesh’s mangrove-forested coastline is now retreating by as much as 200 metres a year
  • CAUSES : erosion, rising sea levels and deliberate human actions to remove vegetation
• 2013 UK STORM SURGE :

  • mid-December 2013 to early January 2014
  • UK experienced spell of extreme weather, hit by succession of major storms
  • storms were driven by a powerful jet stream bringing low-pressure weather systems across Atlantic
  • one of most significant storms occurred from 5-6 December 2013, brought a storm surge which affected the UK and other countries
• WHAT CAUSED STORM SURGE :

  • intense low pressure (976mb to 968mb)
  • high seasonal tides
  • strong northerly winds pushed the storm and surge further South - increasing height of surge and tides
• IMPACTS OF STORM SURGE IN UK :

  • strong winds (gusts of over 200km/hr in Scotland)
  • two people dead
  • coastal flooding (1400 homes flooded) and forced evacuation along coast of Eastern England (mostly)
  • bridges were shut, and rail services in Eastern counties were disrupted
  • insurers calculated cost of damage at £100 million
• ODISHA’S COASTAL ZONE :

  • has wide range of coastal and marine flora and fauna (including 1435km^2 of mangrove forest)
  • rich in mineral deposits
  • has huge potential for offshore winds, tidal and wave power
  • coastal fishing employs large numbers of people as fishermen
• WHY IS ODISHA’S COASTAL ZONE UNDER STRESS :

  • rapid urban industrialisation
  • tourism
  • coastal erosion
  • marine transport, fishing and aquaculture (farming of aquatic organisms)
• WHAT IS ODISHA DOING :

  • in an attempt to manage some of these problems, an ICZM project has been implemented, with aim to manage coast and its resources in a sustainable way
  • many different organisations have an interest in managing the coast, and these have consulted with others who have a stake in its future
  • wide range of public consultations have also been held, including with individual villages about issues including : assessment and control of coastal erosion, development of eco-tourism and the planting/replanting of mangroves
• GREENPEACE INDIA :

  • environmental pressure group
  • has been involved in meetings about income generation and management of marine resources, acting with some of the villages included in the ICZM project
• STAKEHOLDERS AND PLAYERS IN ICZM PROJECT, ODISHA :

  • CENTRAL (FEDERAL) GOVERNMENT : archaeology department of culture, water resource department, fisheries department
  • STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT : odisha state disaster management authority, odisha state pollution control board
  • STAKEHOLDERS IN LOCAL ECONOMY : odisha tourism development corporation, handicraft and cottage industries