Part 2 – My view on: 'The British coastline should be better protected against the threat of coastal erosion'
For many decades the approach to rapid coastal erosion was to build up sea defences, to try and slow down or even stop the erosion. Initially the attempts were thought a success, however after some years it was realised that the power of the sea and waves could overcome human attempts. Only could protection be a success if huge costs were going to be involved. Many methods around the British Isles have taken place in he last 50 years with many failures occurring. It is very rare to find a coastline that shows a decrease in the rate of erosion over many years after defences are in place. In fact in places the defences seem to have speeded up the erosion process. Coastal erosion is a natural process of erosion, transportation and deposition, interfering with this balance could be to blame for the rise in erosion on the coasts of some areas.
Now this is where the local council's should come into play. The local councils need to carry out whatever needs to be done in order to pay for proper sea defences which are durable. When Britain faces coastal erosion, the only way it can be defeated (temporarily) is when durability is the key factor of the defence system. The coastline should be better protected against the threat of coastal erosion by regular check-ups (inspections) on the coastlines well-being on a monthly period. When a sign of serve erosion is taking place, re-enforcements to be put in place ensure that the coastline does receive any more of a damaging impact.
Part 3 – Coastal management (Soft Engineering, Hard engineering)
My choice – Soft engineering
In civil engineering of shorelines, soft engineering is the use of ecological principles and practices to reduce erosion and achieve the stabilization and safety of shorelines and the area surrounding rivers, while enhancing habitat, improving aesthetics, and saving money. Soft engineering is achieved by using vegetation and other materials to soften the land-water interface, thereby improving ecological features without compromising the engineered integrity of the shoreline or river edges.
There are also economic benefits associated with use of soft engineering. In general, soft engineering of shorelines is typically less expensive than hard engineering of shorelines. Additionally, long-term maintenance costs of soft engineering are generally lower because soft engineering uses living structures, which tend to mature and stabilize with time (E.g Dune regeneration).