Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
laboratory for shore protection devices, including inlet bypassing and
back-passing, beach nourishment and diverse species of revetments,
breakwaters and groynes…. Not all were successful.
(Carter 1990:8-9)
What emerged from Carter's (1990) study was that by the 1980s, of the 870 km of
Florida's coastline, 40 per cent of the coastline with sand dunes was under threat, which
also affected roads, houses and other development. Much of the impact is recreation and
tourism-related, since in areas where no recreation occurs, no erosion exists. In the case
of Denmark, Nielsen (1990) examined the positive enhancement of the environment with
the creation of Koege Bay Beach Park in 1980 to meet the recreational needs of the
Greater Copenhagen area. Using land reclamation methods, including extensive beach
nourishment, a new beach environment was created. Some 5 million cubic metres of sand
were used, dredged from lagoon areas and a 20 m wide dyke was built of sand to a height
of 3 m above sea-level. Various environmental management measures were needed,
including sluices for the lagoon environment to prevent stagnant water. A programme of
planting on the dunes was also implemented to stabilise the resource. By developing the
beach park to fit the underlying geomorphology, it represents a good example of an
attempt to develop a sustainable leisure resource although it is not without environmental
effects. However, the time frame is too short at this stage to observe long-term
consequences and impacts or to assess the extent to which it is a truly sustainable
resource. What is clear is that where significant demand exists in close proximity to an
urban population, the creation of a local resource may act as a honeypot and attract a
significant number of visitors, taking pressure off other sites.
What Nielsen (1990) identified was the close involvement in physical geographers'
monitoring and evaluation of coastal processes to understand how the coastal
geomorphology will respond to such a radical change—the creation of a new recreational
environment. In a detailed coastal geomorphological study of the German coastline,
Kelletat (1993) documented the major beach nourishment needed for islands along the
German North Sea coast. This was due to tourism, recreation and storms. However, in a
study of Sylt Island, the growth of tourism has also provided the impetus and funding for
coastal tourism on islands of the German North Sea coast (Kelletat 1993).
A range of other studies (e.g. D.G.Pearce 1988a; Carter et al. 1990; McDowell et al.
1990) have also documented the recreation, the production of coastal recreation strategies
and coastal management plans to co-ordinate decision-making in the coastal zone. The
diverse range of interest groups associated with coastal environments highlights the
complexity of developing management plans where collaboration, communication and
management solutions are introduced to control tourist and recreational use.
One related aspect of the geographers' interest in the coastal environment has been the
development of resorts and planning measures to manage these physical impacts. In a
conceptual context, the dynamics of resort development and change have hinged on the
Butler (1980) model, and subsequent criticisms (e.g. Cooper and Jackson 1989; Cooper
1990) and concerns with the post-stagnation phase (Agarwal 1994; Priestley and Mundet
1998). This distinguishes between the land use and physical planning and management
measures needed for the coastal environment and strategic planning measures needed to
ensure the long-term prosperity, viability and development of the resort. The concern
