CHAPTER 1
The Coastal Zone Environment: A Place to Work, Rest, Play and to
Manage
S.D. King
ABSTRACT: Over time growing environmental awareness has made us regard coastal
landscapes as nationally and internationally important areas of scenic quality and
natural habitat. Unfortunately the relatively recent desire to defend and to protect these
particular aspects of the coastal environment does not necessarily fit in with the need to
maintain the human aspect of the environment, e.g. our industrial, economic, and leisure
activities. Maintaining a coastal environment to suit all the possible user requirements
and interests and is difficult to achieve. It is vital to strike a balance between the natural
and the man-made activities that operate within a coastal environment in order to
sustain them for the benefit of everyone. Unfortunately, to date, an integrated approach
to coastal management has not really been undertaken. The result of this has been that
more often than not the continued use of a coastal environment has resulted in conflict,
the consequences of which have been damaging to other users and aspects. The main
problem with coastal management in the past is that it has been very reactionary. There
has been little in the way of a planned response, and new ideas have only come about
with hindsight. Now is the time to take stock of the situation and to clarify positions.
Introduction
Coasts by their very nature have historically always offered a place for humans to settle,
to work, and to play. In order to maintain our coastal settlements, our investments and
our pleasure (i.e. our way of life) has necessitated the implementation of various forms
of coastal defence and protection from the sea and with it a recognition of the need to
maintain an element of environmental constancy and stability for us to survive.
Over time growing environmental awareness, however, has made us regard
coastal landscapes as nationally and internationally important areas of scenic quality
and natural habitat, amongst many other things. Unfortunately the relatively recent
l
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-Information Systems, 1–20.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
The Coastal Zone Environment: A Place to Work, Rest, Play and to
Manage
S.D. King
ABSTRACT: Over time growing environmental awareness has made us regard coastal
landscapes as nationally and internationally important areas of scenic quality and
natural habitat. Unfortunately the relatively recent desire to defend and to protect these
particular aspects of the coastal environment does not necessarily fit in with the need to
maintain the human aspect of the environment, e.g. our industrial, economic, and leisure
activities. Maintaining a coastal environment to suit all the possible user requirements
and interests and is difficult to achieve. It is vital to strike a balance between the natural
and the man-made activities that operate within a coastal environment in order to
sustain them for the benefit of everyone. Unfortunately, to date, an integrated approach
to coastal management has not really been undertaken. The result of this has been that
more often than not the continued use of a coastal environment has resulted in conflict,
the consequences of which have been damaging to other users and aspects. The main
problem with coastal management in the past is that it has been very reactionary. There
has been little in the way of a planned response, and new ideas have only come about
with hindsight. Now is the time to take stock of the situation and to clarify positions.
Introduction
Coasts by their very nature have historically always offered a place for humans to settle,
to work, and to play. In order to maintain our coastal settlements, our investments and
our pleasure (i.e. our way of life) has necessitated the implementation of various forms
of coastal defence and protection from the sea and with it a recognition of the need to
maintain an element of environmental constancy and stability for us to survive.
Over time growing environmental awareness, however, has made us regard
coastal landscapes as nationally and internationally important areas of scenic quality
and natural habitat, amongst many other things. Unfortunately the relatively recent
l
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-Information Systems, 1–20.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.