The Shoreline between Nature and Society, a Changing Heritage - Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems and Adaptation - page 188

submersion and flooding will have to be equipped with a district
safeguarding procedure (encouraging within-district approaches).
Reinforcing the flood defense structures involves speeding up the
inventory of the dikes and selecting the maintenance work that needs
to be done. The ministry in this occasion organized the management
of dike structures. This is neither new nor easy to implement, as
carrying out an inventory of these structures is all the more delicate as
their management depends on various collectives. Finally, the “dike
procedure” anticipates a better understanding and a change in the risk
culture in terms of marine submersion. Things are progressing slowly,
submersion percolates with difficulty within the SCOT, for instance,
yet its scale can be relevant. Consultations are difficult to put into
practice; this is another way that management could be carried out
more efficiently in the perspective of a more sustainable development.
5.3. Anthropogenic pressures: coastlines in the face of human
pressures
5.3.1. Demographic growth expresses the increasing attraction of
coasts
When looking at a global demographic map, we notice the
concentration of a large portion of the population on the coasts. This
observation is derived from historical migrations of populations and
was emphasized during the second half of the 20th Century.
Historical migrations are the first and foremost factor in population
increases among the coasts and in particular during the 16th Century
(see Figure 5.7(a)), and up until the 20th Century (see Figure 5.7(b)),
due to the European expansion toward America [GRA 07].
The population increased in America first through the ports in
successive waves. This dynamic occurred early in the Northeast
Region of Brazil with the Portuguese (and later the Dutch) and, in a
more gradual manner, in North America. The British colonies opened
up through their ports, from Boston to Charleston at least; and it is
with the uprising of the merchant middle-class in the ports, that the