Blue Seas: Fighting Coastal Erosion
FIGURE 5.5
Major Factors Affecting Coastal Morphology, Including Coastal Erosion
Source: Giardino et al. 2018. Available under Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND).
stabilize areas through sediment buildup in one location, but they starve the sediment and intensify the erosion rate at other locations; in extreme instances, poorly informed adaptation measures may cause more damage than doing nothing (Hoggart et al. 2014). Coastal and inland development can exacerbate coastal erosion locally and at other sites, as shown by examples in the Middle East and North Africa. Because of the blocking of sediment transport, structures further upstream can cause or accelerate erosion of downstream coastlines. Although the 2010 expansion of the commercial port Tanger-Med in northern Morocco included an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with a desk-based assessment of known archeological sites, the port’s presence has affected the coastline at the nearby archeological site of Ksar es-Seghir (Trakadas 2020). In addition, there is a lack of environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) regarding coastal erosion in the region. These circumstances highlight potential insufficiencies in the understanding of erosion processes and their proper incorporation into EIAs and ESIAs.
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