vegetation of dry coastal ecosystems of the world (van der Maarel 1993a, 1993b)
reveals that at least 5,000 plant species have been found growing on coastal dunes.
Endemics are quite abundant. Finally, depending on vegetation cover, coastal dunes
can be mobile (with zero to sparse vegetation), semi-mobile, or stabilized (fully
vegetated and with limited to no substrate mobility). Coastal dunefields may also
vary spatially, containing phases that are completely mobile and phases that are
entirely vegetated, and vary temporally, displaying phases of dune initiation and
development and phases of relative stability and little dune development.
1.2 Human Impact on Coastal Dunes and Sandy Coasts
Planet Earth is a coastal planet: its shorelines extend for more than 1.5 million km
(World Resources Institute 2005), which, if added together around the equator,
would circle it more than 400 times. Eighty-four percent of the world’s countries
have a shoreline, but only 16 % of them contain sandy beaches and coastal dunes
within their territories. In addition, nearly 41 % of the world’s human population
lives within 100 km of the coast. Twenty-one of the 33 megacities ([10 million
inhabitants) of the world are located at the coast, and it is expected that many will
more than double their size within the next few decades (Martínez et al. 2007).
Given this scenario, the actual and potential human impact on coastal ecosystems
is more than obvious. In consequence, these ecosystems have been severely
degraded as a result of excessive natural resource exploitation, chaotic demographic expansion, industrial growth, and worldwide tourism. The continuously
growing human population along the coasts of our world will exacerbate the
impact of human activities on these environments. Because of this, conservation
activities and restoration efforts will become more and more relevant and
important, to sustain coastal ecosystems. In particular, sandy shores and coastal
dunes will be in great need of these efforts because they are preferred sites for
human settlements and tourism. The problem is that with some notable exceptions
(Nordstrom 2004, 2008; Ley-Vega de Seoane et al. 2007; Houston et al. 2001;
Grootjans et al. 1997), research on coastal dune restoration is limited.
The degradation and loss of coastal dunes owing to human intervention is a
consequence of different activities performed at the coast by humans (Ketchum
1972). These actions can be aggregated into six groups and to a major or minor
extent, all of them affect coastal dunes, namely:
1. Housing and recreation
2. Industrial and commercial use
3. Waste disposal
4. Agriculture, aquiculture, and fisheries
5. Military activities
The human impact on coastal dunes has been studied and described by different
authors (e.g., Ranwell 1972; Ranwell and Boar 1986; Carter 1988; Nordstrom
4
M. L. Martínez et al.
reveals that at least 5,000 plant species have been found growing on coastal dunes.
Endemics are quite abundant. Finally, depending on vegetation cover, coastal dunes
can be mobile (with zero to sparse vegetation), semi-mobile, or stabilized (fully
vegetated and with limited to no substrate mobility). Coastal dunefields may also
vary spatially, containing phases that are completely mobile and phases that are
entirely vegetated, and vary temporally, displaying phases of dune initiation and
development and phases of relative stability and little dune development.
1.2 Human Impact on Coastal Dunes and Sandy Coasts
Planet Earth is a coastal planet: its shorelines extend for more than 1.5 million km
(World Resources Institute 2005), which, if added together around the equator,
would circle it more than 400 times. Eighty-four percent of the world’s countries
have a shoreline, but only 16 % of them contain sandy beaches and coastal dunes
within their territories. In addition, nearly 41 % of the world’s human population
lives within 100 km of the coast. Twenty-one of the 33 megacities ([10 million
inhabitants) of the world are located at the coast, and it is expected that many will
more than double their size within the next few decades (Martínez et al. 2007).
Given this scenario, the actual and potential human impact on coastal ecosystems
is more than obvious. In consequence, these ecosystems have been severely
degraded as a result of excessive natural resource exploitation, chaotic demographic expansion, industrial growth, and worldwide tourism. The continuously
growing human population along the coasts of our world will exacerbate the
impact of human activities on these environments. Because of this, conservation
activities and restoration efforts will become more and more relevant and
important, to sustain coastal ecosystems. In particular, sandy shores and coastal
dunes will be in great need of these efforts because they are preferred sites for
human settlements and tourism. The problem is that with some notable exceptions
(Nordstrom 2004, 2008; Ley-Vega de Seoane et al. 2007; Houston et al. 2001;
Grootjans et al. 1997), research on coastal dune restoration is limited.
The degradation and loss of coastal dunes owing to human intervention is a
consequence of different activities performed at the coast by humans (Ketchum
1972). These actions can be aggregated into six groups and to a major or minor
extent, all of them affect coastal dunes, namely:
1. Housing and recreation
2. Industrial and commercial use
3. Waste disposal
4. Agriculture, aquiculture, and fisheries
5. Military activities
The human impact on coastal dunes has been studied and described by different
authors (e.g., Ranwell 1972; Ranwell and Boar 1986; Carter 1988; Nordstrom
4
M. L. Martínez et al.