Coastal Management Strategies: Advantages & Disadvantages

Coastal Management Strategies

Building a Sea Wall

A sea wall is a wall built on the edge of the coastline to protect against erosion and flooding. For example, waves in Porthleven are managed using a sea wall.

Advantages

• Protects the base of cliffs, land, and buildings against erosion.
• Can prevent coastal flooding in some areas.

Disadvantages

• Expensive to build.
• Curved sea walls reflect wave energy back to the sea, maintaining wave power and potentially increasing erosion over time.
• High maintenance costs.

Building Groynes

Groynes are wooden barriers built at right angles to the beach, such as the Hopton Sea Wall in Norfolk.

Advantages

• Prevent the movement of beach material along the coast by longshore drift.
• Allow the buildup of a beach, which acts as a natural defense against erosion and a tourist attraction.

Disadvantages

• Can be visually unappealing.
• Costly to build and maintain.

Rock Armour or Boulder Barriers

Rock armour involves piling large boulders on the beach, like the boulder barrier in Nice, France.

Advantages

• Absorb the energy of waves.
• Allow the buildup of a beach.

Disadvantages

• Can be expensive to obtain and transport the boulders.

Case Study: Happisburgh, Norfolk

Happisburgh, on Norfolk's North Sea coast, is a village with a population of 1400 people in about 600 houses. The village has faced significant coastal erosion challenges.

Old Coastal Defenses: Rock Armour

Rock armour at Happisburgh has slowed the rate of coastal retreat. However, large sections are now in disrepair. Sea-level rise and climate change, including increased storminess, may further accelerate erosion. Agriculture and tourism are important to the local economy but are threatened by the receding cliff line. Prior to the construction of a rock embankment, the coastline was retreating at a rate of at least one property per year, along with significant agricultural land loss.

Local Concerns and Government Response

Local residents express concern about coastal erosion, citing difficulties insuring properties and the risk of homelessness due to further erosion. Some residents who sought sea views upon moving to the area are now faced with unobstructed views due to the eroded coastline. Conversely, some residents benefit from easier mortgage access. Government spokesmen acknowledge increased spending on coastal defense but indicate that Happisburgh will not be protected due to its small population and the potential for greater benefit in other areas.