Coastal Management

• Groynes - Timber or rock structures built at right angles to the coast. They trap sediment being moved along the coast by longshore drift – building up the beach.
• Advantages of Groynes - Work with natural processes to build up the beach, which increases tourist potential and protects the land behind it; Not too expensive.
• Disadvantages of Groynes - Starve beaches further along the coast of fresh sediment (because they interrupt longshore drift), often leading to increased erosion elsewhere; Unnatural and can be unattractive
• Sea Wall - Stone or concrete walls at the foot of a cliff, or at the top of a beach. They usually have a curved face to reflect waves back into the sea.
• Advantages of Sea Walls - Effective prevention of erosion; They often have a promenade for people to walk along
• Disadvantages of Sea Walls - They reflect wave energy, rather than absorbing it; They can be intrusive and unnatural looking; They are very expensive to build and maintain.
• Rip Rap - Large rocks placed at the foot of a cliff, or at the top of a beach. It forms a permeable barrier to the sea – breaking up the waves, but allowing some water to pass through.
• Advantages of Rip Rap - Relatively cheap and easy to construct and maintain; Often used for recreation – fishing, sunbathing.
• Disadvantages of Rip Rap - Can be very intrusive. The rocks used are usually not local and can look out of place with local geology. Can be dangerous for people clambering over them.
• Revetments - Sloping wooden, concrete or rock structures placed at the foot of a cliff or the top of a beach. They break up the waves’ energy
• Advantages of Revetment - They are relatively inexpensive to build.
• Disadvantages of Revetment - Intrusive and very unnatural looking. They can need high levels of maintenance.
• Offshore Breakwater - A partly submerged rock barrier, designed to break up the waves before they reach the coast.
• Advantages of Offshore Breakwater - An effective permeable barrier
• Disadvantages of Offshore Breakwater - Visually unappealing and a potential navigation hazard.
• Beach Nourishment - The addition of sand or pebbles to an existing beach to make it higher or wider. The sediment is usually dredged from the nearby seabed.
• Advantages of Beach Nourisment - Relatively cheap and easy to maintain. It looks natural and blends in with the existing beach. It increases tourist potential by creating a bigger beach.
• Disadvantages of Beach Nourishment - Needs constant maintenance because of the natural processes of erosion and longshore drift.
• Cliff Regrading and Drainage - Cliff regrading reduces the angle of the cliff to help stabilise it. Drainage removes water to prevent landslides and slumping.
• Advantages of Cliff Regrading and Drainage - Can be effective on clay or loose rock where other methods will not work. Drainage is cost effective.
• Disadvantages of Cliff Regrading and Drainage - Regrading effectively causes the cliff to retreat. Drained cliffs can dry out and lead to collapse (rock falls).
• Dune Stabilisation - Marram grass can be planted to stabilise dunes. Areas can be fenced in to keep people off newly planted dunes.
• Advantages of Dune Stabilisation - Maintains a natural coastal environment. Provides important wildlife habitats. Relatively cheap and sustainable.
• Disadvantages of Dune Stablisation - Time consuming to plant marram grass. People may respond negatively to being kept off certain areas.
• SMPs are recommended within the UK, four options are considered for any stretch of coastline:

  1. Hold the line – maintaining the current position of the coastline.
  2. Advance the line – extending the coastline out to sea.
  3. Managed retreat/strategic realignment – allowing the coastline to retreat in a managed way.
  4. Do nothing.
• Key Features of SMPs (Shoreline Management Plans)

  • Provide an assessment of risks
  • Provide a framework to assess risk
  • Provide policy agenda
  • Aim to be sustainable
  • Ensure management complies with conservation efforts
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management = aims for the coordinated application of different processes affecting the coastal zones and activities along the coast
• ICZM contributes to sustainable development of coastal zones by the application of an approach that respects the limits of natural resourced and ecosystems
• Integrated coastal management covers the full cycle of information collection, planning, decision-making, management and monitoring. It involved all stakeholders to ensure broad support.
• The ICZM aims to avoid having a 'sectoral approach' and aims to co-ordinate policies that affect the coastal zone and the activities that take place there.