XI
PREFACE
Coastal erosion has been discussed in papers published in periodicals (scientific
and popular), newspapers and at eve~ congress, symposium and conference
addressing the problems of coastal zone study or management. No wonder : at the
dawn of the 21 st century_, human populations are migrating in a steady river-like
flow to shores.
In fact, a science of coastal zone management has evolved, and autodidactic
managers are being succeeded by professionally trained colleagues. Institutes
aiming at preparing workers able to cope with economics, exploitation and
protection are multiplying, with the college of the European Federation for
Environmental Management Training the most recent (1995). Coastal defense is
a major concern of regional managers and national planners alike. Unless
solutions are worked out economic disaster will strike some areas, e.g, the
Atlantic coasts and the Caribbean, and island countries may be engulfed (Pacific
Ocean). The coastal erosion problem has also been treated in several books,
mostly as chapters. The present modest volume attempts to cover succinctly the
way in which coastal erosion relates to and affects coastal zone management, the
causes and mechanics of such erosion, and measures to counteract it. These
measures have been placed under the headings of "'hard" and "soft" methods, but
other recent developments have been included. Considering the interdisciplinary.
nature of the problems, the material has been approached so as to be of use to
managers, economists, earth scientists, and engineers, providing integrated
information and guidelines.
While the authors and their coworkers have published several papers dealing
with these topics over the past three decades, the book is in part an outgrowth of
a three-week workshop on coastal protection and mathemaucal modeling held in
Indonesia, under the auspices of the Belgian government (Bandung, 1991).
Mathematical modeling is not included in this book in order to keep it within a
reasonable length. Modeling is more "'execution" than management, and
therefore is more appropriately handled in a separate work.
The authors appreciate the contributions made by engineers E. Blomme, C.E.
(Part II), Fransaer and Claeys, members of the workshop teaching team 0~art III,
Part IV, partita dredging methods). The papers by Van Rijn and others have been
adapted in part for use in Part III as they were used in the Bandung Workshop.
Papers of other researchers have also been included.
We are grateful to engineer Daniel Decroo, co-author of several papers and parts
of the workshop manual, who gave considerable advice, especially regarding
some chapters of Part IV.
PREFACE
Coastal erosion has been discussed in papers published in periodicals (scientific
and popular), newspapers and at eve~ congress, symposium and conference
addressing the problems of coastal zone study or management. No wonder : at the
dawn of the 21 st century_, human populations are migrating in a steady river-like
flow to shores.
In fact, a science of coastal zone management has evolved, and autodidactic
managers are being succeeded by professionally trained colleagues. Institutes
aiming at preparing workers able to cope with economics, exploitation and
protection are multiplying, with the college of the European Federation for
Environmental Management Training the most recent (1995). Coastal defense is
a major concern of regional managers and national planners alike. Unless
solutions are worked out economic disaster will strike some areas, e.g, the
Atlantic coasts and the Caribbean, and island countries may be engulfed (Pacific
Ocean). The coastal erosion problem has also been treated in several books,
mostly as chapters. The present modest volume attempts to cover succinctly the
way in which coastal erosion relates to and affects coastal zone management, the
causes and mechanics of such erosion, and measures to counteract it. These
measures have been placed under the headings of "'hard" and "soft" methods, but
other recent developments have been included. Considering the interdisciplinary.
nature of the problems, the material has been approached so as to be of use to
managers, economists, earth scientists, and engineers, providing integrated
information and guidelines.
While the authors and their coworkers have published several papers dealing
with these topics over the past three decades, the book is in part an outgrowth of
a three-week workshop on coastal protection and mathemaucal modeling held in
Indonesia, under the auspices of the Belgian government (Bandung, 1991).
Mathematical modeling is not included in this book in order to keep it within a
reasonable length. Modeling is more "'execution" than management, and
therefore is more appropriately handled in a separate work.
The authors appreciate the contributions made by engineers E. Blomme, C.E.
(Part II), Fransaer and Claeys, members of the workshop teaching team 0~art III,
Part IV, partita dredging methods). The papers by Van Rijn and others have been
adapted in part for use in Part III as they were used in the Bandung Workshop.
Papers of other researchers have also been included.
We are grateful to engineer Daniel Decroo, co-author of several papers and parts
of the workshop manual, who gave considerable advice, especially regarding
some chapters of Part IV.