Coastal Dune Restoration: Trends and Perspectives

Abstract

Sandy coasts are distributed worldwide and they are all heterogeneous ecosystems in terms of morphology, vegetation and dynamics. Psammophytes are common in these environments. Besides these widespread attributes, sandy beaches and coastal dunes also share the intense impact of humans. Because of their privileged location at the coast, they are preferred sites for urban and maritime development, destinations for tourists, and locations for many other human activities. Thus, over the years (but especially during the last few decades) many of the previously natural dunescapes have been lost to urban, tourist, and industrial developments. Furthermore, a recurring problem of many coastal dune systems is over-stabilization, which is mostly the result of human actions. The urgent need to preserve the natural and valuable coastal dune remnants and, as much as possible, restore those that have been degraded, is evident. There are many different and contrasting actions that have been followed during restoration activities. Restoration actions have involved “soft” methods, such as sand fences, and “hard” methods, such as geotubes and herbicides. Also, restoration may lead not only to the stabilization of dunes, but also to the re-mobilization of sand. On an overcrowded planet where the coasts are ecosystems to which humans gravitate, conservation and restoration actions become exponentially important.