Beach Resources Research Articles

The first 10-m China’s national-scale sandy beach map in 2022 derived from Sentinel-2 imagery

ABSTRACT Sandy beaches are at the frontline of resisting continuous sea level rise associated with anthropogenic climate change. However, accurate and comprehensive spatial information for monitoring, utilizing, and protecting sandy beaches is still lacking at the national or above scales. This study, for the first time, addresses this gap by collecting cloud-free, low-tide Sentinel-2 images in 2022 to map 10-m sandy beaches across China using the image classification method. We adopted the Support Vector Machine to derive the spatial distribution of sandy beaches, assess accuracy, and analyze spatial characteristics. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of the SVM model in mapping sandy beaches (User's accuracy: 96%, Kappa coefficient: 0.93). We identified 3,444 beaches in China, with a total length of 3,187.57 km, an average width of 69.93 meters, and a total area of 217.43 km², constituting 24.16% of the national coastline. Notably, Guangdong, Taiwan, and Hainan provinces are rich in beach resources, whereas Macao, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Jiangsu provinces have relatively fewer beach resources. Further, our results outperform the existing OpenStreetMap beach dataset. Our developed 10-m beach database is crucial for analyzing potential beach risks, uncovering socioeconomic values of beach resources, and promoting the sustainable coastal zone development in China.

Charting sustainable waters: Governance challenges and opportunities for fisheries and coastal beach resources in a West African country

Marine fisheries and beaches (i.e., backshore, foreshore and shoreface) are essential for providing ecosystem services globally, with coastal states being at the forefront of this benefit. Consequently, several policies, legislations, and governance processes must be formulated to ensure their sustainable use due to the impact of anthropogenic and natural pressures. This study aims to analyse the legal and institutional frameworks for the management of marine fisheries and beach resources (such as flora (coconut), fauna (ghost crabs), dunes, and rocky components) under key international laws and conventions, using Ghana as a case study. The study identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) within resource management, as well as their impact on the country’s progress in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Union Agenda 2063. Data was collected through interviews with fishers, coastal residents, and other relevant stakeholders, as well as a review of secondary data. The results unveil a distinctive contrast in the regulatory landscape between fisheries and beach resources. While numerous policies have been formulated to ensure the sustainable management of fisheries, the same level of attention and commitment has not been extended to beach resources. The SWOT analysis revealed that some of the strengths in the governance of marine fisheries and beach resources rest on the availability of institutions and laws. The weakness lies in inadequate enforcement and data gathering and analyses to inform decision making. This study provides as an illuminating exploration into the legal and institutional underpinnings of marine fisheries and beach resource management in Ghana, shedding light on the critical junctures where improvements are needed.

Environmental and resource components in the development of subregions of the tourist territory

This paper examines the institutional and natural resource components in the strategy of socio-economic development of the region. The rationality of the use of natural resources taking into account the resource asymmetry of the region is investigated and the justification of the segmentation of consumers of recreational resources is given. The main problem in the process of development of the region’s tourist orientation is the replacement of the natural component by the economic infrastructure. Thus, the process of development of tourist orientation is accompanied by a steady increase in the number of buildings and recreation, and according to the specifics of tourism in the region are increasingly valuable beach resources. Among all the subregions of Crimea is particularly distinguished by higher rates of recreational development and economic development relative to other subregion of Greater Yalta. Recreational potential of the Big Yalta is just over 18.6% of the potential of the Crimea, with an area of 1.1%. Territorial concentration is 16,9 times higher than in the region. All this creates the need for segmentation of subregions on the basis of resource asymmetry of the region.

Economic contribution of beach resources and their sustainable development in China

Beach ecosystem provides services that produce substantial economic value. Different functions of beach resources (recreation and tourism, amenity, coastal protection, biodiversity, etc.) perform inherently different characteristics and contribute diversely to human welfare and fortune. Yet, there have been rare quantification estimations for economic contributions of beaches to human life. Here, framework of beach ecosystem services based on key functions is established, then a series of integrated quantification methods are summarized by published literature and a few novel estimations. Economic contributions of beach resources are obtained through application in fifty-nine coastal cities of China in recent ten years. Spatial added values in real estate benefiting from beaches are separated out economically for the first time. In China, beach resources of 3100 km generate an economic value of at least ¥4.00 × 1012 ($579.60 × 109) during the time interval 2010–2019. Furthermore, legislation, international tourism competitiveness, beach nourishment and restoration issues are discussed; dynamic pattern and healthy-recycled beach economy are creatively proposed according to the needs of sustainable development. This study explores the interface between ecosystem services and economics for beach resources, provides straight recognition upon beaches' economic contribution (least estimation), and promotes understanding of social and natural impacts on China's beach economy.

La política turística sobre la playa en un destino maduro. Mar del Plata (Argentina), 1976-1983

The aim of this article is to analyse municipal tourism policy regarding the beach resource in Mar del Plata, during the last Argentinian military dictatorship (1976‑1983). To do so, a qualitative methodological approach has been carried out. Municipal and provincial legislation, official reports, and local and national press are used as sources. The transfer of the beaches from the province to the municipality in 1976 led to a change in the scope and form of their management in that they became an economic resource for the local government. In the context of the formulated tourism policy, organisational and regulatory instruments, plans and projects around the beach resource were designed and implemented. In particular, the aim was to generate a “distinctive” and “exclusive” seaside offer in the southern coastal strip with a market strategy that privileged economic interests over social ones and the private sphere over the State.

Diet of a threatened endemic fox reveals variation in sandy beach resource use on California Channel Islands.

The coastal zone provides foraging opportunities for insular populations of terrestrial mammals, allowing for expanded habitat use, increased dietary breadth, and locally higher population densities. We examined the use of sandy beach resources by the threatened island fox (Urocyon littoralis) on the California Channel Islands using scat analysis, surveys of potential prey, beach habitat attributes, and stable isotope analysis. Consumption of beach invertebrates, primarily intertidal talitrid amphipods (Megalorchestia spp.) by island fox varied with abundance of these prey across sites. Distance-based linear modeling revealed that abundance of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) wrack, rather than beach physical attributes, explained the largest amount of variation in talitrid amphipod abundance and biomass across beaches. δ13C and δ15N values of fox whisker (vibrissae) segments suggested individualism in diet, with generally low δ13C and δ15N values of some foxes consistent with specializing on primarily terrestrial foods, contrasting with the higher isotope values of other individuals that suggested a sustained use of sandy beach resources, the importance of which varied over time. Abundant allochthonous marine resources on beaches, including inputs of giant kelp, may expand habitat use and diet breadth of the island fox, increasing population resilience during declines in terrestrial resources associated with climate variability and long-term climate change.

Beach economy of a coastal tourist city in China: A case study of Xiamen

Beaches are important tourism resources in coastal areas and have become the preferred destinations for coastal tourism. For scientific management of beach resources, the economic benefits of beach nourishment and beach tourism should be evaluated. Therefore, using Xiamen as a case study, this study reviews beach nourishment actions, establishes a model to quantify the beach tourism economy; thus, it analyzes beach tourism's economic contributions to Xiamen's overall economy to contribute to the literature on scientific management of beach resources and tourism development. During the period between 2012 and 2018, the total beach tourism revenue increased from 9.718 billion yuan to 25.238 billion yuan, increasing by a factor of nearly 2.6 over 6 years. In 2018, beach tourism directly contributed 10.091 billion yuan to Xiamen's gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for 2.11% of Xiamen's GDP; the comprehensive contribution was 31.559 billion yuan, accounting for 6.63% of Xiamen's GDP in 2018. Beach tourism has boosted related industries in Xiamen's economy. Meanwhile, over the past few years in Xiamen, the income elasticity coefficient of beach tourism demand has been greater than 1, indicating a relatively high-income elasticity of demand. After analyzing the economic contributions from coastal tourism in Xiamen, this study proposes that beach tourism can be promoted through beach management and beach nourishment. The development of coastal tourism is a feasible strategy for enhancing the regional economy, and coastal tourism is conducive to improving the economic structure in Xiamen.

Construction and application of quality evaluation method for seawater bathing beaches resources in China

The beach tourism resources of China are abundant with long coastline and many seawater bathing beaches. However, the natural quality of seawater bathing beach resources in China is uneven, and there are many differences in the degree of development, facilities, and management levels. The scientific evaluation of the quality of seawater bathing beach resources is conducive to fully understand the status of seawater bathing beach resources in China, so as to promote the rational development, sustainable utilization and scientific management of them. Giving different weight according to the type of beach, this study set up the quality evaluation system of the seawater bathing beaches resources in China from different perspectives of tourists, developers and managers by Beach Quality Index Model, and selected ten typical seawater bathing beaches in major areas for empirical research by extensive field investigation. According to the statistical data of 689 valid questionnaires and the results of field investigation and collected data, the comprehensive resource quality index of the ten typical seawater bathing beaches was calculated. The problems existing in the development and management of the main beaches in China and its’ countermeasures were analyzed. The results showed that there were three "Urban Beach”, five "Semi-urban/Semi-rural Beach” and two "Rural Beach”. The comprehensive resource quality level of the ten beaches was overall relatively high with one Excellent (Sanya Yalong), six Good (houshan Zhujiajian, Qinhuangdao Laohushi, Xiamen Gulangy, Qingdao Shilaoren, Beihai Yintan, Shenzhen Meisha, Weihai International seawater bathing beach) and two Medium (Dalian Jinshitan and Lianyungang Liandao). The method of first classifying and then giving different weights respectively can effectively solve the problem of “one size fits all” in the quality evaluation of various types of seawater bathing beach resources. Environmental problems, inadequate infrastructure and inadequate management services were the main problems, which need to be paid enough attention to.

Study on Urban Design Characteristics of New Coastal “Reclamation Type” Town

He, C.; Xiang, X.; Lin, J., and Yu, L., 2020. Study on urban design characteristics of new coastal “reclamation type” town. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 363–367. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The construction of new coastal reclamation areas is an important decision in China, because it is a form of development and construction that must adapt to many problems in coastal areas, including rapid socioeconomic development, rapid population growth, and serious shortage of land resources. China has many coastal provinces, which will be limited by the shortage of land resources. Therefore, in the rapid economic development, coastal cities will be greatly restricted, which will limit the rapid process of urbanization. China has abundant beach resources. Therefore, reclamation and city building have become the main means to alleviate land resource shortages. In recent years, various coastal cities in China have carried out new reclamation-type town design, which has its own unique characteristics. These new city construction plans need to be improved, because the “reclamation type” city is an important part of urban construction planning in the future. This paper analyzes the current situation of the construction of the new coastal reclamation areas, presents the methods, and suggests improvements.

Resident status influences perceptions about beach resource valuation and restoration

Sandy beaches represent typical destinations for recreation and tourism worldwide, as well as being a lifestyle for people living along the shore. In the Northeastern United States coastal environments are build-up and overexploited, threatening both ecosystem integrity and coastal communities. Following hurricane Sandy, the US government funded a number of restoration projects aimed at increasing resiliency of coastal ecosystems and human communities. In light of this, research about human perceptions and concerns during a restoration project was conducted to assist in planning and decision making for continued beach restoration and management, including monitoring avian resources. Objectives were to determine if there were differences among permanent coastal residents, part-time residents (summer), and non-residents (tourists) concerning visitation to the beach, knowledge about the restoration project, birds using the beach, and ratings of ecological resources and beach management options. There were no differences in knowledge of the bird species that were endangered nor in the conservation projects aimed at protecting birds as a function of resident status. People were aware of the roped-off nesting areas, but less aware of the conservation areas or even stewards on the beach. However, permanent residents were significantly more aware of the protective signage and that dogs were not allowed on the beach than others. Less than half of the people knew about the recent restoration project, and part-time residents were more aware of building up the dunes and creating nesting habitat, and less aware of dredging, beach replenishment and habitat restoration than other types of residents. When asked to rate different protection values, there were no differences for protecting the environment, but non-residents rated protecting birds, protecting endangered species, and providing conservation information to the public higher than others, and part-time residents rated predator control higher than others. This information can be used to target different segments of the beach-using community, particularly to residents on the importance of their local beach to protection of the environment, endangered species, and birds.

Beaches as a Factor in Achieving Competitiveness of a Tourist Product-Case Study

Beaches are the main part of an integral tourist product of a destination. They represent a highly valuable resource from the aspect of natural, social, economic and recreational potential. They make a tourist product attractive, and represent a motive of arrival to a destination for a certain number of tourists. In order for a beach to be placed in a function of tourist offer and positioning of a tourist destination on the tourist market, and for destination´s tourist product to become more attractive, it is necessary to enrich the offer of beaches according to the desires of market segment while respecting the principles of sustainable development. Beach offer of the Istrian County has been analysed within this paper. While preparing this paper, the authors have used the scientific methodology, which means gathering and the analysis of data from primary and secondary sources. An analysis of domestic and foreign professional and scientific literature has been carried out, as well as the valid law frame of beach managing in the Republic of Croatia. With a goal of analysing the existing state of regulation and managing beaches in the Istrian County, an evaluation of beach resources has been carried out.

INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF PROPERTY RELATIONS ON NATURAL RECREATIONAL AND TOURIST RESOURCES OF COASTAL AREAS

Topicality . On the territory of Ukraine in the coastal areas various spheres and types of economic activity are developing, representing a complex of seafarers, and polyfunctional natural resources of these territories are not always used rationally in the directions of activity; their recreational value and uniqueness are not taken into account; their socioeconomic and ecological damage, in fact, property rights are violated. Natural coastal areas resources are used by subjects of economic activity of various forms and ownership rights to man-made production factors. Lack of economic substantiation of the property rights specification, their blurriness, lead to a conflict of interests of various users with natural recreational resources and the need to transform the state regulation processes in this area. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is the substantiation of requirements in the transformation processes concerning the regulation of property relations on the natural recreational and tourist resources of the coastal areas as a basis for rational and environmentally safe use of them. Research results. The article deals with the institutional aspects of the state regulation development in the field of property relations on recreational and tourist resources. The imperfection of the regulatory and legislative framework concerning the legal status and economic relations with regard to the ownership of beach areas located in coastal zones. The coastal beach areas of southern Ukraine are highlighted and described. The necessity of transformation of institutes and institutions of property management on natural recreational and tourist resources at the state and regional levels is substantiated. The lease relations regarding the use of beach areas are described. The institutional directions of property relations improvement on the natural recreational and tourist resources of the coastal areas are substantiated. Conclusions. There are many potential recreational beach areas in our country, which can be mastered and used with the maximum social, ecological and economic effect, but the lack of state and local budget funds causes the need for the tenants to use beach resources, with the obligatory carrying out of protective, restorative and other measures for the arrangement of the territories. The process of state regulation of economic relations of recreational coastal resources ownership is not sufficiently effective as a result of the imperfection of the existing legislative and regulatory framework, the mechanisms of control by the state on the state of resources. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the institutional mechanisms of development of property relations on the recreational and tourist resources of the coastal areas.

Island beach management strategy in China with different urbanization level – Take examples of Xiamen Island and Pingtan Island

Because of a rise in tourism in Pingtan, beach resources are threatened by various pressures. This paper proposes beach management strategies for developing tourism on the island, using the experience of developed tourist islands. Pingtan and Xiamen were selected as case studies. This paper addresses beach management practices implemented on both islands, and the important factors affecting the effectiveness of beach management. The results show that the beach environment on both islands vary in types of use. In Xiamen, the coastal management scheme, beach nourishment, and coastal environment improvement programs played important roles in island beach management, according to our analysis of beach management processes. Certainly some negative aspects occurred in urban and tourism development. Comparison of beach management through SWOT analysis between locations indicates that the lack of a management scheme is the primary reason why beach management is so limited, and several environmental problems exist in Pingtan. Both islands implemented beach nourishment as their primary management activity for tourism development. This suggests that beach managers should learn from experiences, and put forward appropriate strategies in the future. For effective beach management, Pingtan also needs to establish interactive participation mechanisms, and enhance public awareness and local managers’ perspective of public involvement.

Beaches destination management – case study Penninsula Pelješac

Tourism destination is a complicated system. Destination system consists of resources which can be natural and anthropogenic. It is necessary to harmonize them and to manage them in proper manner. Coastal area is one of the most valuable natural resources od Republic of Croatia which is well known and recognized as sun, sea&sand destination, and therefore coastal area is crucial for tourism development. Beaches, as part of coastal area, are foundation of competitive advantage, as well as income generator and due to this, there is growing interest in last couple years for possibility of using their recreational and economic potential. Purpose of this paper is, by using quantitative and qualitative analysis, to research beach resources of Pelješac peninsula which will then be used as a foundation for SWOT matrix to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to beaches of this area. For the analysis purpose, beside the secondary data research, there was a field research conducted which covered attitudes of key stakeholders and tourism board management of Pelješac peninsula which together make destination management of beach resources.

Valuing Consumer Surplus for the Beach Resources at Ko Chang National Marine Park in Thailand

This paper presents recreation trip demand models from three beaches administrated by the Ko Chang National Marine Park in Thailand. In specific, we apply Poisson (POI) and negative binomial (NB) count data models to estimate consumer surplus (CS) attributed to tourism development. An onsite stratified random sample of 409 beach visitors was administrated along the shorelines of the marine park. The results show that the estimated CS of a Thai visitor is $244 per trip and $256 per trip, respectively, under POI and NB models. In contrast, the CS per trip of a foreign visitor is double that of the Thai visitor's. As all the potential beach visitors’ CS counted, it suggests that the beaches along the Ko Chang's coastline are highly valuable public resources. As a result, several important policy-making comments regarding the coastal park management are addressed.

Modeling Willingness to Pay for Coastal Tourism Resource Protection in Ko Chang Marine National Park, Thailand

The value of non-market resources is important information for the nature-based park investment and management. In this paper, we estimate visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) an entrance fee for beach resource protection of the Ko Chang Marine Park in Thailand using a standard contingent valuation method of a single-bounded (SB) and double-bounded (DB) dichotomous choice format. An on-site stratified sampling survey of 409 beach visitors was conducted at the park along the White Sand Beach shoreline. By comparing the two survey methods, the average WTP for a Thai beach visitor is about $12.01 under the SB elicitation survey and $7.27 per adult per visit under the DB elicitation method, respectively. It turns out that the foreign visitors' WTP is twice as much as that of Thai visitors' WTP. These can be translated to the lower and upper bounds of an aggregated value ranging between $10.33 million and $17.41 million per annum. The policy implications for the park management are addressed.

Estimating the nonmarket economic benefits of beach resource management in southeast Queensland, Australia

Policy makers are assisted by information on the cost and benefits of different beach management options in deciding where public investment is best directed and in assessing the relative merits of different available options. This is important in southeast Queensland where there are major beach areas at the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, as well as in Moreton Bay adjacent to the city of Brisbane. Stated preference experiments have been conducted with a survey of Brisbane residents to evaluate two key issues. The first was to explore the relative importance of providing public facilities and services at beaches in well populated areas in southeast Queensland, with a choice modelling experiment applied for this purpose. The second was to assess the economic value associated with managing the problem of substantial beach erosion in southeast Queensland, with a contingent valuation experiment conducted to identify if there was community support for remediation actions. The results demonstrate the importance to Brisbane residents of access to, and services at, beaches; however, the heterogeneity in preferences that has been identified, combined with the availability of substitute sites, would suggest that a focused strategy to beach resource management be adopted.

Study of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Baoan District, Shenzhen from 2000 to 2010

(accounting for 37% of the total land area of Shenzhen ), with a coastline length of 30.62 km. It is connected to the Pearl River estuary in the west, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in the south, Dongguan City in the north, and Mirs Bay in the east, near the New Territories and Yuen Long areas of Hong Kong. Baoan is located in south of the Tropic of Cancer and has a subtropical oceanic climate-mild with plenty of sunshine, an average annual temperature of 22 °C, and an annual average precipitation of 1667 mm. The Baoan District has complex terrain, with low hills mainly in the northeast, hills and table I and in the central and northern areas, and mainly alluvial plains and some hilly remnants in the west, while the southwest coast is mostly muddy shoreline, with rich ocean beach resources.

A Review of Beach Bye-Law Usage in Supporting Coastal Management in Ireland

Coastal areas are commonly the focus of a range of human activities and uses. Beaches are one example of multi-use coastal environments, accommodating activities linked to leisure and recreation, amenity, conservation and business, often simultaneously. Ireland is no different in this regard, as its beach resources provide a range of goods and services of societal value. Ireland has 16 coastal counties and their associated local authorities have a beach management remit, a role that can present a number of challenges. The use of beach bye-laws is one option to support management of beach environments by local authorities. Local authority personnel tasked with beach management from each coastal local authority were surveyed to assess the actual and potential role of beach bye-laws in contributing to more effective management of beach environments and to broader coastal management. Usage of beach bye-laws varied across local authority areas and evidence suggested that the efficacy, use, and implementation of beach bye-laws differed from county to county. Beach bye-laws offer potential but interaction with other initiatives as part of a wider program for coastal management may yield improved results.

THE APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY TO THE INVESTIGATION OF BEACH RESOURCES AND THEIR DEVELOPING TREND IN JIANGSU PROVINCE

The application of remote sensing technology to investigating the abundant and complex beach resources proves to be quite effective. Based on satellite remote sensing digital images of three different periods, the authors analyzed characteristics of the beach resources in Jiangsu Province, such as their total quantity, distribution, developing trend and application prospects. The results reveal that the beach resources in Jiangsu Province tend to decrease, which is attributed to the fact that the utilized beach area is larger than the reproduced beach area. Therefore, better management should be emphasized in the utilization of the beach resources.