Beach Management

Book excerpt: Whether a sunbathing beach in the Mediterranean, a surf beach in Australia, a conservation area in the UK or a wild section of wind-and wave-swept dunes on the Oregon coast, beaches are one of the most widely loved and heavily used and abused areas in the world. Competing social or recreational, economic and conservation uses and the needs of many users make beach management particularly challenging but vitally important. This comprehensive book provides full coverage of beach management principles and practice, with an emphasis on needs-based management. The book comprises two sections. Part one covers beach management principles and theory and addresses practical management tools and guidelines including how to determine the best management strategy for different beach types (linear, pocket, resort, urban, village, rural and remote) as well as how to include user preferences and priorities in effective management plans. The second section provides a wealth of case studies of best and worst practice authored by a cast of international beach management experts from the UK, USA, New Zealand, the Mediterranean, and Latin America. The emphasis throughout the book is on optimizing economic, social and environmental outcomes and reconciling competing needs in management planning for beach area.