Coastal Management

Question 1

We do not manage all of coasts in the same way. What are the issues which mean that we make different decisions in different places?

Answer 1

1. Cost – coastal protection can be very expensive. Cost benefit analysis is a tool which is used to make decisions about funding. It means that coastal defences must cost less than the value of the infrastructure which it seeks to defend. So seaside towns like Sheringham are protected by villages like West Runton are not.
2. Environment - Some parts of the coast are important wildlife habitats or are important for historic or geological reasons. So we do not protect the crumbling cliffs along the Jurassic coast in Dorset as it is a world heritage site because of the fossils which emerge from the cliffs here.
3. Unintended consequences – coastal protection in one location may lead to increased rates of erosion down drift. So a sea wall or groynes in one location make reduce the amount of sediment moving along the coasts be LSD. Spurn Point on the Holderness coast is starved of sediment by HE up drift.
4. Climate change – Most scientists expect sea levels to rise and storm events to increase in number and intensity. Will this mean that existing coastal defences will need to be enlarged or abandoned in future?

Question 2

How are coasts managed?

Answer 2

1. Hard engineering strategies
   - This involves artificial, man made structures. They are designed to interfere with natural processes.
   Examples include: sea walls, rock armour, groynes and breakwaters
2. Soft engineering strategies
   - This involves a more environmentally friendly approach using natural materials. They are designed to work with natural processes.
   Examples include: beach nourishment and salt marshes regeneration