Modelling and Mapping Coastal Protection: Adapting an EU-Wide Model to National Specificities

Abstract

We explore the requirements for adapting coastal protection EU-wide indicators nationally. The aim of this research is threefold: (a) to map coastal protection at the national level; (b) to assess the congruence between the regional and national coastal protection estimates; and (c) to qualitatively assess the congruence of our findings with subnational estimates. We assessed coastal protection capacity, exposure, and demand and adapted them for the coastal zone of Greece. We quantitatively compared our findings with the results of the EU model. Through visual interpretation, we compared national estimates with those for the coastal zone of Peloponnese. Most islands have lower protection capacity than the mainland areas, while the southern part of the country’s coastal zone is the most exposed to natural hazards. Higher coastal protection demand was detected in the country’s largest cities (Athens, Thessaloniki). Areas of attention for management were small and medium islands and urban centres, as they mostly revealed high demand and exposure but the lowest natural capacity. The differences observed in the modelling outputs across scales are attributed to the differences in the demarcation process of the coastal zone, the additional variables considered, the terminology used, and the experts involved. Such national adaptations should be considered in order to build or update EU-wide indicators for coastal protection and beyond, towards a rule-based rather than a one-size-fits-all methodology.