Location
Situated on the east cost of the UAE Kalba is South of Oman and north of the emirate of Fujairah. Map 1 Shows along with the scale the position of Kalba in relation to the rest of the UAE.
Map 2 shows a satellite image of Kalba along with the scale.
There were three sites which were visited for the purpose of the project.
Site A – Kalba
Site B- Al Theeb
Site C- Khor Fakkan
Ecology
Ecological conditions of Kalba aver all are very wild, which would help me to find out whether man have a negative impact on the coastline or not.
On assessing the ecological conditions of Kalba I studied the behavioral aspects of how the different species adapted to their environment. It included the homes of animals, and plants and how they interacted with each other. I also looked at the relationship of a species in relation to other species with the community. I also looked at the relationship between the environment and a species within the ecological environmental.
We investigated three sites A,B and C. Sites B and C did not have any vegetation. This was because sites B and C were sites which had a heavy population that visited the beach and as a result the vegetation did not seem to be visible. However, site A had green vegetation that was widely spread. The reason for more vegetation being present in site A is because there was less interference from the out-side i.e less people in this area which was thus not impacting on that vegetations growth or existence. Site B and C had much external influence on it resulting in little vegetation.
Coastal Processes
Costal Process are processes that shape the manner in which the coast looks as a result of the waters effect on the coast. There are three main costal process which take place where land meets the Sea.
- Erosion
- Transportation
- Deposition
Each of the above effects on the coast line are determined by the power of the sea. But this is not all that shaped the shore line. Human activity has also played a major part in shaping the coast line. For example since site A is used more than the others there was evidence to suggest that this shore line looked to have been effected by Human intervention. Recent research has shown that there is far less damage down to the coastline if the coastline was fringed by mangroves.
Methods of Coastal Protection used
There are two different types of options available to protect the coastal areas:
Hard Engineering and Soft Engineering
Hard Engineering is achieved by means of traditional sea defences, these include sea walls of different forms. Soft engineering includes managed retreats, beach nourishment and stabilising dunes.
The implications of any future development plans
There is a large amount of investment that is taking place in Kalba, building this area into a resort location which will attract many tourists. The development was focused in sites B and C. This means that there will be the biggest impact to the coastal area here because of these man made alteration of the natural habitat.
