Why should coastlines be protected?

The aim of coastal management is to protect people and the environment from the impacts of erosion and flooding. Coastlines need protecting because:

1) Increasing development of coastal areas including urban areas (towns) means there are more people at risk from coastal flooding such as local residents living near the coast.

2) This risk is likely to increase in the future as climate change brings about rising sea levels and an increase in the number of coastal storms.

3) Increased amenity value (use as leisure and recreation such as surfing) of coastline. Increased wealth and leisure time has led to increased demand for water sports such as Calshot Spit activity centre.

4) Increased economic/transportation/industrial value (use as making money such as industries like Exon oil refinery on The Solent, largest oil refinery in the UK handling 2000 oil tanker movements a year and Easington gas station on the Holderness coast). Southampton is the UK’s busiest cruise port handling 250 cruise ships per year with ¾ million passengers.

5) Increased environmental/nature conservation value (use as key and fragile habitats for rare wildlife such as seahorses in Studland Bay and Keyhaven Marina (SSSI), 2000 acres of saltmarsh and mudflats behind Hurst Castle spit).

Soft engineering

Sustainable coastal management

Some strategies for coastal management are more sustainable than others. Sustainable strategies meet the needs of people today (i.e. they reduce flooding and erosion), without stopping people in the future getting the things they need. This means not using too many resources (e.g. money) or damaging the environment.

Hard engineering strategies are usually less sustainable than soft engineering strategies because they generally cost more money to build and maintain, and they damage the environment more.

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM)

In many areas planners decide to combine hard engineering schemes with soft engineering and managed retreat. This kind of integrated approach is used on the Holderness coast in Yorkshire.

Case Study coastal protection: Pevensey Bay, East SussexWhere? Pevensey Bay is found in East Sussex and is an area of low lying land vulnerable to coastal flooding.

What do people use this coastline for?

10,000 properties for local residents, tourist area including number of caravan parks and main road and rail links along the coast for key towns such as Eastbourne.

What are the main problems along this coastline?

Over 50 square kms of flat land would be flooded along with the road and rail links if coastal defences failed. The Pevensey Levels are an environmentally sensitive area (SSSI) that would be flooded with salt water if the coastal defences failed. Destructive waves from winter storms and longshore drift reduce the beach and so protection which threatens coastal properties and land.

How does human activity erode this coastline?

Groynes at Eastbourne trap material to build up this beach so less longshore drift and material reach Pevensey Bay therefore the beach is smaller and the coast less protected.

How have humans tried to manage this coastline?

Soft engineering: beach replenishment, reprofiling and recycling.

How sustainable is the management of this coastline?

It is sustainable because it works with natural environment and does not damage the environment. It sustains people because it is not expensive to build and the resulting beach has important value in attracting tourists and recreation for local people.

Case Study coastal protection 2: Pevensey Bay, East Sussex

Pictures and description of beach replenishment etc…

What is managed retreat and is it a suitable solution?

Managed retreat is when the sea is allowed to erode the coast and people and activities have to move away.

Advantages

This is clearly the cheapest solution.

There will be an increase in the amount of salt marshes which help to stop future erosion and flooding. They also provide a habitat for birds and wildlife.

Creates recreational opportunities e.g. kite surfing in the salt marsh so increasing the amenity value of the area.

Flood defence of salt marsh and raised earth banks behind it reduces wave energy so protecting land and buildings at a reduced cost compared to hard engineering solutions.

Disadvantages

It is very disruptive for the people who live where land and buildings are likely to be lost. In many cases compensation (money paid out for loss, in this case land) is not paid so individuals can lose a great deal of money.

It can be very stressful and disruptive so has huge social costs therefore not sustainable for local people.

The new habitats such as salt marshes can take many years to develop.

Managed retreat can mostly only be used on low land that is not suited to farming.