Management and Protection of Coastal Area, the Importance of Coastal Processes during the Planning Phase

Coastal processes should be one of the main issues in coastal zone management; ignoring it could lead to wrong decisions which, in turn, could lead to environmental disaster. This letter shows some examples of coastal structures that are built without taking into account coastal processes, and discusses their impact on the environment, with the hopes that the examples provided can serve as a warning for any future decisions. The analyzed zone is the coast of the Calabria Region in southern Italy. The coast is being studied as part of an agreement between the Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria and the Calabria Basin Authority, concerning the redaction of the Coastal Erosion Risk Mitigation Plan. All data and results are obtained from a preliminary study of the coastal processes in Calabria. Calabria, with more than 700 km of coasts, is affected by coastal erosion, so the proper management and protection of the coastal zone represents an important issue that cannot be avoided.