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ICZM is a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative process to promote sustainable management of coastal zones.ICZM seeks, over the long­term, to balance environmental, economic, social, cultural and recreational objectives, all within the limits set by natural dynamics.

ST: Evaluate the extent to which the issues surrounding the erosionat Happisburgh meet the aims of Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

QU: What are the options for managing risk from coastal recession and flooding?AIM: To evaluate the merits of hard and soft engineering approaches.

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REMEMBER ‐ What ever scheme is used on the coast the waves will eventually win. MAINTAINENCE is a high ongoing cost when hard or soft engineering techniques are used.

When considering using coastal defences the cost is measured against the worth of protecting a certain area. This process is called COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS.

The impacts on the surrounding landscape and processes needs considering. This is called ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Task: Use your handout of the next 2 slides a - Define hard and soft engineering in your OWN notes.b - ON the handout go through the hard/soft approaches in two different colours.Highlight positives and negatives of both approaches.

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Soft engineeringSoft engineering options work with natural processes and are often less expensive than hard engineering options. They are usually also more long­term and sustainable, with less visual impact on the environment. There are three main types of soft engineering:Beach nourishment • This replaces beach or cliff material that has been removed by erosion or longshore drift. • Beaches are a natural defence against erosion and coastal flooding. Beaches also attract tourists. • While it can be a relatively inexpensive option it requires constant maintenance to keep replacing the beach material as it is washed away.• The extra sediment input can upset the dynamic equilibrium of sediment cells and increase deposition downdrift eg. silting up harbours.• Saltmarsh creation ­ managed retreat. • This is where areas of the coast are allowed to erode and flood naturally. Usually this will be areas considered to be low value.• It is a controversal approach and can generate lots of public opposition.• It encourages the development of beaches (a natural defence) and salt marshes (important for the environment) and cost is low. • While this is a cheap option, it will not be free as people will need to be compensated for loss of buildings and farmland.• Low lying coastal areas are needed. Cliffed coastlines prevent this approachSandune Stabalisation• Dunes are one of the best natural defences going and are self repairable after a storm as constructive waves build them back up again. (sustainable)• However severe storms can breach them leading to short term coastal flooding.• This method can only be used along low energy coasts where there is a large natural sediment supply.• Asthetically dunes look natural and promote biodiversity.

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Hard engineeringHard engineering options are often expensive and seek to stop or disrupt natural processes. They work against nature. 

• They are usually a short to mid­term solutions with a definite 'shelf life'. Therefore maintaince costs are higher. • They usually have visually intrusive impact on the environment. This can be an issue in tourist destinations.• They are obvious and a clear statement that something is being done to 'at risk' communities.• They can be in place/built relatively quickly and can have an immediate positive impact on recession rates and for the areas they are built to protect. eg. lower insurance premiums.• Some methods have a direct negative impact elsewhere on the coast eg. groynes (hold up sediment) or sea walls (do not provide sediment from erosion as cliffs do)• The building of defences can be highly disruptive to local areas. eg. Noise and traffic.• Hard defences are well designed and effetive for their life time.• They are not fail proof and cannot adapt to local changes eg. current shifts or wave direction.

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Sustainable Coastal Management: is a long term approach that considers future threats such as sea level rise and storm surges. It concentrates on managing economic livlihoods, social well being and safety whilst minimising environmental impacts. Much of this is done through helping communities ADAPT.

a - Define Sustainable Coastal Management in less than 25 words (41 used above)

b -Sort the statements below into social/economic or environmental adaptions as part of a sustainable coastal management approach.

• Education of coastal communities

of expected changes

• Creating/training people for alternative

livlihoods.

• Encouraging new industriesemployment to areas wherepeople are dependent on a

coast derived income.• Developing relocation and

compensation schemes.

• Managing/monitoring naturalresources response to changes.

• Modelling and predictingexpected impacts in different

localities.• Liasing between stakeholdersto reach agreements.

• Ensure social justice forimpacted communities.

Social Economic Environmental

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Exam mistake alert!!!Managed retreat is a policy 

NOT a soft engineering technique

Abbots Hall, Blackwater Estuary, Suffolk, East England

Describe the location of the Blackwater estuary.

20 km

Sustainable Coastal Management - Microstudy

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How managed retreat works

What has been done on the Black Water Estuary?

This means the intertidal zone is shrinking.'Coastal Squeeze'Therefore defences are under strain or have to be built up/maintained. £££££

Future inevitable sea level rise

Holes made in old defencesNew larger intertidal zone and saltmarsh created which takes the energy out of waves.

Smaller more sustainable defences created.

Sea floods in occupying the space and relieving other areas nearby from'coastal squeeze'

1 - Watch the clip.

2 - On your copy of the diagram below allocate the six annotations below to the appropriate arrow.

Ext: Outline 1 way in which this approach is sustainable and one way that it is not.

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This means the intertidal zone is shrinking.'Coastal Squeeze'Therefore defences are under strain or have to be built up/maintained. £££££

Future inevitable sea level rise

Holes made in old defencesNew larger intertidal zone and saltmarsh created which takes the energy out of waves.

Smaller more sustainable defences created.

Sea floods in occupying the space and relieving other areas nearby from'coastal squeeze'

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Old defences

New flooded area

Breach gaps

TASK:Using map evidence..why is this a suitable site for realignment? (4)EXT: Possible conlicts?

05 06 07 08 09

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1 - When consider the Blackwater estuary for managed retreat what other considerations were there apart from the environment?________________________

2 - What is a priority on this coastline? _____________________________________________

3 - What is neither possible or desirable? ___________________________________________

4 - What do rising sea levels mean for the existing estuary environment? ___________________

5 - In what industry does the guy in the cap work? ____________________________________

6 - What must sustainability include according to the guy in the Trilbury hat?___________________________________________________________________________

Blackwater Estuary Watch the clip and complete your copy of the notes below.

Go back to your columns of social, economic and environmental characteristicsof sustainable coastal management. How many got a mention on this clip?

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Disc 3 episode 12 Wash to Dover

38:00 ­ 42:10

If time..

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Plenary: Why not sustainable coastal management everywhere?

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Template / resource slides

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Managed Re-alignment - Sustainable Coastal Management?

Managed Re-alignment - Sustainable Coastal Management?

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1 - When consider the Blackwater estuary for managed retreat what other considerations were there apart from the environment?________________________

2 - What is a priority on this coastline? _____________________________________________

3 - What is neither possible or desirable? ___________________________________________

4 - What do rising sea levels mean for the existing estuary environment? ___________________

5 - In what industry does the guy in the cap work? ____________________________________

6 - What must sustainability include according to the guy in the Trilbury hat?___________________________________________________________________________

1 - When consider the Blackwater estuary for managed retreat what other considerations were there apart from the environment?________________________

2 - What is a priority on this coastline? _____________________________________________

3 - What is neither possible or desirable? ___________________________________________

4 - What do rising sea levels mean for the existing estuary environment? ___________________

5 - In what industry does the guy in the cap work? ____________________________________

6 - What must sustainability include according to the guy in the Trilbury hat?___________________________________________________________________________

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Attachments

hard engineering

Blackwater Estuary

How managed retreat works

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