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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Soft Engineering Coastal Management
Coastal areas are constantly changing due to natural processes like erosion and deposition. As humans, we often want to protect our coastal settlements, but how we do this matters. Soft engineering offers a more natural approach to coastal management compared to traditional hard engineering methods.
Key Definitions:
Hard Engineering: Uses artificial structures like sea walls and groynes. These are expensive, visually intrusive and can disrupt natural processes.
Soft Engineering: Works with nature, is often cheaper, more sustainable and visually appealing, but may offer less immediate protection.
Soft engineering is increasingly popular because it's often more sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective in the long term. It also tends to enhance rather than detract from the natural beauty of coastlines.
There are several soft engineering approaches used in coastal management. Each has specific purposes and works best in particular coastal environments.
Beach nourishment involves adding sand or shingle to beaches that are being eroded. This widens the beach, providing a natural buffer against wave energy.
Bournemouth in Dorset has used beach nourishment since the 1970s. In 2006-2007, a £3.2 million project added 320,000 cubic metres of sand to the beach. This has successfully protected the seafront while maintaining Bournemouth's status as a premier UK beach destination, attracting millions of visitors annually.
Sand dunes act as natural barriers against coastal flooding and erosion. Dune regeneration involves rebuilding and stabilising these natural defences.
Marram grass and other salt-tolerant plants are planted to stabilise dunes with their extensive root systems.
Boardwalks and fencing direct people away from vulnerable dunes to prevent trampling.
Fences made of wood or brushwood trap windblown sand to build up dunes naturally.
The National Trust manages dune regeneration at Formby Point, where erosion threatens rare habitats including red squirrel populations. They've installed boardwalks, planted marram grass and used Christmas trees as sand traps. These measures have slowed erosion while preserving the area's natural character and biodiversity.
Sometimes the most sustainable option is to allow controlled flooding of low-value land. This involves removing or breaching existing defences and creating new ones further inland.
Creates valuable saltmarsh habitats that absorb wave energy and provide homes for wildlife. Also reduces pressure on defences elsewhere and can be more cost-effective than maintaining existing defences.
Requires giving up land, which can be controversial. Compensation may be needed for landowners and communities might resist the perceived "surrender" to the sea.
The UK's largest managed realignment scheme was completed in 2013 at Medmerry. The Environment Agency breached the existing shingle bank and built 7km of new defences further inland. This created 183 hectares of saltmarsh habitat while providing better flood protection for 348 homes. The project cost £28 million but is expected to save £90 million in flood damage over 100 years.
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by tides. They provide natural protection by absorbing wave energy and trapping sediment.
Salt marshes can be created or restored by:
These habitats not only protect the coast but also provide valuable ecosystems for birds, fish and other wildlife. They also act as carbon sinks, helping to combat climate change.
Soft engineering approaches can help stabilise eroding cliffs without using hard structures.
Planting trees and shrubs on cliffs helps bind soil together with root systems and reduces surface runoff.
Installing drainage systems removes water that might otherwise destabilise the cliff.
Reducing the angle of steep cliffs makes them less prone to collapse.
Modern coastal management often combines different soft and hard engineering techniques in a strategic approach called Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
ICZM principles include:
The UK has developed Shoreline Management Plans that divide the coastline into cells and recommend one of four approaches for each section:
These plans increasingly favour soft engineering approaches where appropriate.
Coastal management faces significant challenges in the coming decades:
Soft engineering approaches will likely become increasingly important as we seek sustainable ways to manage our coastlines in the face of these challenges.
For your iGCSE Geography exam, remember to:
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