Coastal Defence

Anything that acts as a barrier between the sea and the land can be considered to be a coastal defence. In the past the emphais was on hard structures, such as sea walls and rock armour, however today much consideration is given to more natural methods including dune building and salt marsh genration under managed retreat which work in harmony with natural forces..

Man made defences are generally put inplace to protect financial interests, such as property or infrustructure, as they are very expensive to construct and have a limited life span. As more research is undertaken the defences can be built to higher standards and designed specifically to resolve each areas defence issues.

Natural defences are being considered more as they have limited cost associated with them. However, they have a dynamic response to coastal processes and are often more fragile than a hard defence. The soft defences rely on proper management to maintain their integrity.