Discovering integrated beach management

Fanny Trifilieff: What is integrated beach management?

Brieuc Cabioch and Samuel Robert : Managing a beach in an "integrated" way means considering its various components together, such as sediment dynamics, water quality, uses and visitor numbers, and adopting a systemic approach. Integrated beach management is part of sustainable development, and stems from Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), which has been a reference framework for coastal management since the 1990s. Addressing ecological, social and economic issues at the same time, this approach also implies considering the plurality of stakeholders (decision-makers, citizens, scientists, etc.) in the development of management. The concept of "beach management" appeared relatively recently in scientific literature, mainly from the 2000s onwards, with a proliferation of articles in recent years.

F.T: What interactions need to be taken into account between cities and beaches?

B.C. and S.R.: In our article, we focused on cities with populations in excess of 500,000, which have distinct characteristics from the smaller seaside resorts that are more widely studied. In "big cities", maintaining beach areas in a context of competition with other activities located on the coast (port or industrial activities, for example) represents a real challenge for public authorities. Here, we're not talking about natural beaches, but beaches that are directly integrated into the city and frequented all year round. The interactions to be considered between the beach and the area in which it is located are therefore manifold: the influence of the sewage system on water quality, coastal development on sediment dynamics, population density on visitor numbers, public transport services on accessibility, and so on. Beach management in large cities must satisfy high social expectations throughout the year, while at the same time confronting the challenges of urban pressure on the coastal environment and those of climate change.

F.T: What stands out in your study?

B.C and S.R : The aim of this study was to show the specific features of beaches and their management in major cities, and to question how the interactions between the beach and the city are dealt with in the literature. We wanted to find out to what extent scientific work addresses this integrated dimension of beach management in large cities. Our results show that the city is most often considered as a context and is not the object of research. Secondly, we noted the predominance of sectoral approaches in the articles, which most often consider only one dimension of management (ecological, social, economic). As a result, the relationships between scientists and managers are not very apparent in these works, which runs counter to the principles of ICZM. In Marseille, we are trying to take this approach by working with the city's Direction de la Mer, as part of the Observatoire Hommes-Milieux Littoral Méditerranéen of the LabEx DRIIHM. Science-society relations are an important factor in the success of integrated management of beaches and coastlines, and of the environment in general.