What are the challenges in coastal areas, and why does management conflict? GapFill

Hard engineering is used to protect cliffs. It is usually  softcheapenhancedexpensive. Hard engineering includes rock  gabionsshieldingrevetmentsarmour. These are boulders placed at the  marshesbaseupper halftop of a cliff. Sea walls are often installed in front of  settlementshard engineeringsoft engineeringfarmland. They might be curved in order to efficiently reflect the incoming  groyneswindboulderswaves. Many of our sea walls are old - being built by the Victorians. They also need maintenance if they develop cracks or are damaged by powerful storms.  GroynesSea wallsCliffsSoft engineering are structures, often made of wood, which are built across the beach. Their job is to trap sediment which is transported by  armourhard engineeringdredginglongshore drift. Hard engineering schemes might be ugly and out of character with the landscape and damaging. For example, they may disrupt habitats and actually increase erosion further along the coast - without eroded material, beaches become  widerthinnertallershingle and offer less protection to the cliffs behind them.

Soft engineering can be used to protect the coast. This is  longshore driftexpensivecheaperartificial, although it may need constant maintenance. Soft engineering includes nourishing or replenishing   cliff-facesbeachesstreamsgroynes, which means that they are able to absorb more energy from the waves. Soft engineering can also involve stabilising  beachesdunesgabionsgroynes, by planting marram grass, fencing areas off to avoid trampling, and even adding old Christmas trees to help sand naturally build up. While there may be issues with sourcing material such as through offshore dredging, the engineering can create valuable habitats. We can shore up the cliffs by adding pipes to remove water, or installing long metal pins into the cliff to stop the cliff from becoming waterlogged (mass movement) or from crumbling away. We call this   SMPslope stabilisationdredgingbeach replenishment.

Management is another form of soft engineering - for example, allowing areas of the coast (usually low-value areas) to be lost to the sea. This helps create downstream sediment to help protect areas elsewhere. This is called coastal  expensiveliningrealignmentmarshes (or managed retreat). When we consider all of the aspects of the coast - the area inland and the people living and working in the area - as one big, interconnected unit, we call this   do nothingsea wallsbeach replenishmentIntegrated Coastal Zone Management.