Exercise 7.4: Managing the coastal environment

1. Coastal management is when trying to find ways that we can protect our environment. 
2. 
Construction of protective barriers

·         Beach Nourishment

·         Coastal Dune Preservation

3.   3. 

Brief description of management strategy	Advantages	Disadvantages
Sea Walls and Groynes	Stops erosion and protects many beach front properties. Makes the beaches wider by catching the sands.	Is making the beach more ‘artificial’, more man made and is taking away the beauty of the beach.
The moving of sand by humans	Clearing makes room for other things.	Very expensive and may be endangering many animals and plants.
Preservation of coastal dunes	Helps to stop erosion and to make the beach areas more stable.	Less space for people to live along the coastline and a large possibility of introduced species endangering other animals and their habitats.

4. 4.  For coastal management  to work, large amounts of attention needs to be paid to the environment to ensure that the environment is at the constant best that it can be. 
5. 5. 

Description of problem	Proposed management solution/s
Fishermen from a coastal village anchor their boats in a small river. Recently the river mouth has been eroded by the ocean and the river entrance is no longer safe for ships for use.	Construction of protective barriers and walls. -          Breakwaters.
A tourist development has been built behind a well-preserved sand dune system. Tourists wanting to access the beach are trampling and destroying fragile dune vegetation.	Coastal dune Preservation -          Limiting new developments.
Developments along the coast have changed the shape of a safe swimming beach popular with families. It is often dangerous to swim. Hotel owners are demanding that the beach be restored to how it was before the developments.	Beach Nourishment
Storm waves frequently threaten to destroy property along the fore dune of a beach.	Construction of protective barrier and walls.