Coasts - Case Studies

Question 1

The Nile Delta

Answer 1

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
-Coastline experiences retreat with significant erosion on half of it e.g. Rosetta promontory- sediment moved eastwards
-Problems experienced due to sea level rise include salt intrusion, more frequent coastal flooding (also due to climate change), protective offshore bars eroded
-3.3% of delta land area will be lost
WHAT HAPPENED/ FACTS
-Used for holiday resorts, Coastal defences, marine recreation, fisheries, transport, settlement
-95% of Egypt’s population lives there
-In 2015 32.4% of Nile delta coast ruled highly vulnerable- if sea levels rise by 1m by end on century and no action is taken, 2 million hectares of fertile land will be lost and 6 million people displaced.
WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
Basically it is an extremely vulnerable area and not enough action is being taken.

Question 2

UK, The North Sea

Answer 2

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
North Sea Floods

WHAT HAPPENED/FLOODS?
Jan 1953
-caused deaths of 2500 people: 307 in England, over 2100 in Netherlands
-sea levels rose by more than 3-almost 65,000 hectares of farmland and 20,000 homes flooded
-32,000 evacuated
-£1.2 billion in damage
-no flood warning system- modern communication did not exist

Dec 2013

• lowered economic and human impacts
• 15 deaths across countries affected
• sea level rose up to 6.3m in North Norfolk
• 1400 properties evacuated
• £1.7 billion in damage
• 800,000 homes protected, better forecasting meant people had more time to prepare and move to evacuation centres, despite flood defences being breached
• better forecasting, warnings, evacuations, improved coastal defences

As seen, warning systems massively improved, lower loss of life= successful improvements despite higher sea level rise.

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
As seen, warning systems massively improved, lower loss of life= successful improvements despite higher sea level rise.

Question 3

Phillipines

Answer 3

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Typhoon Haiyan
-category 5 tropical cyclone
-sustained winds of 315km per hour
-densely populated low lying area

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

• 6200 dead, 28,000 injured
• low lying areas on eastern side of Taliban city=hardest hit, flooding 1km inland, 90% of city destroyed, evacuation centres flooded
• major cause of damage and loss of life=storm surge

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
Progress rebuilding has been slow:
-14.1 million affected, 4.1 displaced from home (only 2.5% accommodated in official evacuation centres)
-1 year later repairs: 6/43 ports, 213/19,600 classrooms, in Tacloban, less than 100 of 14,500 promised homes

Question 4

Bangladesh

Answer 4

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
-Three major cyclones have struck Bangladesh since 1970, plus many minor ones
-developing country
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?
-Death tolls have fallen over time: improved warnings, construction of cyclone shelters and better aid response
-40% of all recorded storm surges have been in Bangladesh
-Killed 1.3 million people in total since 1700
WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
Death tolls have fallen over the years due to improved warning etc.

Question 5

Essex, England

Answer 5

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

• coastal realignment project
• increasing issue of coastal recession, threatening livelihoods

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

• EWT and other landowners esp. farmers, discussed giving up land to sea.
• Essex wildlife trust bought Abbots Farm on the Blackwater estuary and converted into salt marshes and grassland by breaching the old embankments
• cost benefit analysis carried out
• £645,000 largest coastal realignment in Europe

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
Although there were concerned stakeholder groups:
-west mersea fishermen- oysters killed
-RSPB concerned about changing bird habitats

Overall, the project was successful, utilising natural vegetation= sustainable.

Question 6

Namibia

Answer 6

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
-increasing issue of coastal recession, threatening livelihoods

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?
The government were very clever in their approach, dividing the coastline in terms of economic value/use/population, and attributing each area different methods/funds for adapting:
-The Skeleton coast=desert, not many people live there= low cost management options e.g, stabilising and protecting sand dunes, monitoring sea level rise for future planning
-Small tourist settlements like Henties Bay= moderate cost options e.g. Beach nourishment, rehabilitation of wetland ecosystems
-Larger settlement important for industry and trade like Walvis Bay- expensive options e.g. Sea walls, relocation of vulnerable communities

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
The division of the coastline proved more economically viable than the Maldives’ scheme, logical.

Question 7

Maldives

Answer 7

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Conflict surrounding adaptation to sea level rise:
-economy based on tourism and fishing- jobs likely to disappear, encouraging people to move to other countries
-sea level rise is threatening 97% of uninhabited islands which are experiencing coastal erosion

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

• currently the gov prioritised protecting the capital city Male and its tourism industry, but it is not prioritising smaller communities that rely on traditional industries e.g. Farming
• mangroves for the future (MFF) is an organisation that promotes sustainable development and is helping the Maldives become better sustainably managed for the future, educating communities on importance of maintaining mangroves, promoting agricultural practises that minimise soil and water use(link to work of NGOs/importance of government)
• constructing artificial islands to battle sea levels
• government started moving people from its lowest 200 islands to the few higher ones

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?

• constructing artificial islands is economically unviable and unlikely to help whole population
• the government’s approach, one could argue, isn’t really adapting to sea level rise, more so avoiding the issue- not really long term.

Question 8

Australia

Answer 8

Sea Level Rise

• $72 billion homes at risk
• tourism affected= 8% workforce, worth $30 billion (link to importance of industry (tertiary) in development- Rostow)
• Mangrove forests, salt marsh and sea grass trapped between rising sea levels.
• Coral reefs may be unable to grow fast enough to keep up with sea level rise - those more than 50m will die.

Question 9

Happisburgh, Norfolk

Answer 9

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
coastal recession, impact of erosion on coastline/livelihoods
-policy=no active intervention in immediate future- failed originally to qualify for gov grants for coastal defences
-defending village would have impact on wider coastal management plan- Happisburgh would end up as a promontory, blocking LSD and causing further erosion down drift
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?
-long term plan= managed realignment (still involve property being lost to sea)
-median cost- £6 million of building coastal defences- close to value of property that could be saved and much higher than the compensation costs payable to local residents- house values are low and people cannot afford to move elsewhere- no national systems of compensation for these homeowners- in 2009 gov did provide grant of £5000 to assist with demolition costs and £1000 for relocation
-by 2015, shoreline recede by 200m- loss of further 50 homes, caravan site, property losses= £6m

CCAG= Coastal Concern action group raised awareness of coastal erosion issue, locally and throughout UK- involved

• campaign culminated in launch of Pathfinder pilot project in 2009- bid covered 6 settlements (incl. Happisburgh) and obtained gov allocation of £3mill emphasis on integrated coastal management stakeholder engagement
• further lobbying has managed to change SMP2 policy to managed realignment, which does allow for some coastal defences in the future if funds can be found

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?
cost benefit analysis executed indicates some sort of success in terms of selecting a sustainable and considered approach.
-involvement of group (CCAG) successful, active

Question 10

Chittagong Bangladesh

Answer 10

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
-a Coastal Climate Resilient Infrastructure project in 2012 was supported by the Asian Development Bank aims to ‘climate proof’ the area- issues of low lying, sea level rise, coast threatened

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?
the project involves improving road connection for farmers and markets while raising embankment to 60cm above normal flood levels and making them resistant to coastal erosion, creating new market areas with sheds raised on platforms above the expected 2050 sea level, constructing/extending/improving 25 tropical cyclone shelters
-May 2015, UN agency which loaned the project $60 million rated progress of project as satisfactory overall, but with slow progress on road embankment.

WHY WAS IT SUCCESFUL?

SUCCESSES

• alleviated poverty by 10% by generating income opportunities
• adapting to climate change
• reduced disaster risk, e.g. road flooding 5 days a year instead of 20
• environmental enhancement e.g. planting trees

FAILURES

• disturbance of people and natural habitats, esp. during construction
• permanent removal of natural vegetation
• relocation of some households- 200 people by road realignment
• road embankment=slow progress