Coastal defence interventions – overview and future prospects

Abstract

The Portuguese coast is affected to a significant extent by serious erosion problems. The present study looks at the coastal defence interventions that have been carried out to tackle these problems; it presents an overview of such interventions, as well as prospects for the future. In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the type of coastal defence interventions, with a steadily increasing number of "soft" protection interventions, such as artificial beach nourishment. These interventions are implemented under various Action Plans, in particular the Plano de Ação Littoral XXI [Coastline XXI Action Plan], which provides the basis for the proper management of the coastal zone. The optimization of this Action Plan requires the monitoring of the behaviour of the coastal area and the impacts and efficacy of the interventions that have been carried out, to contribute to a more sustainable, resilient, safe and environmentally sound coastline.