ebook img

Sandy Beaches as Endangered Ecosystems: Environmental Problems and Possible Assessment and Management Solutions PDF

311 Pages·2021·27.607 MB·English
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview Sandy Beaches as Endangered Ecosystems: Environmental Problems and Possible Assessment and Management Solutions

Sandy Beaches as Endangered Ecosystems Environmental Problems, Possible Assessment and Management Solutions Editors Sílvia C. Gonçalves and Susana M.F. Ferreira MARE, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ESTM – IPLeiria, School of Tourism and Maritime Technology Polytechnic of Leiria Peniche, Portugal Cover credit: Top photograph: Praia da Gralha, São Martinho do Porto, Alcobaça, Portugal (photo by Susana M.F. Ferreira). Down photograph: Playa Las Galeras, Samaná, Dominican Republic (photo by Sílvia C. Gonçalves) First edition published 2022 by CRC Press 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 and by CRC Press 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access www.copyright.com or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. For works that are not available on CCC please contact [email protected] Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Gonçalves, Sílvia C., 1976- editor. Title: Sandy beaches as endangered ecosystems : environmental problems and possible assessment and management solutions / editors, Sílvia C. Gonçalves and Susana M.F. Ferreira, MARE, Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ESTM - IPLeiria, School of Tourism and Maritime Technology, Polytechnic of Leiria, Peniche, Portugal. Description: First edition. | Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021029969 | ISBN 9780367147495 (hardcover) Subjects: LCSH: Seashore ecology. | Coastal zone management. | Coastal biodiversity conservation. | Endangered ecosystems. Classification: LCC QH541.5.S35 S26 2021 | DDC 577.69/9--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021029969 ISBN: 978-0-367-14749-5 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-17258-3 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-05325-2 (ebk) DOI: 10.1201/9780429053252 Typeset in Times New Roman by Shubham Creation Preface Who has never gazed at the idyllic sight of a sandy beach? For those who have not, we hope that some day you will have the opportunity. For those who did… have you ever wonder: Do we want our children and their progenies to experience this same soothing feeling? These questions were lingering in our thoughts and were our main drivers into preparing this book… Sandy beaches are complex, dynamic, but also sensitive interface ecosystems that fringe the largest proportion of the world’s coastlines. The physical environment of the beach, characterized by the permanent interactions between sand, waves, tides and winds, always in motion, has a profound effect on its inhabitants. Due to this dynamism, living on these ecosystems is a very complex task, notably in open oceanic beaches, where the exposure to environmental changes is more pronounced. Sandy beach biota, especially the fauna, must keep pace and fully adapt to harsh and complex cycles of changing environmental conditions, displaying a wide array of adaptations, if they are to endure. The low diversity of organisms observed in most sandy beaches, when compared for instance to rocky shores, should therefore not be surprising. Another relevant feature of the beach environment is the absence of large primary producers, such as macroalgae and plants. Instead, benthic microflora and surf-zone phytoplankton are the main primary producers, when present, and often represent small primary production values. As such, these ecosystems are strongly dependent of irregular inputs of allochthonous organic debris from both marine and terrestrial origins, which frequently act as food subsidies, by fuelling their food webs. Despite their barren appearance for the most oblivious, beaches have a high natural value and represent unique habitats for several macrofaunal and meiofaunal species, as well as feeding and/or reproduction grounds for some iconic animals, such as birds, marine turtles and fish. Beaches offer diversified habitat possibilities and may shelter a considerable diversity of organisms, even if in low biomass. In fact, only a few species exhibit abundant populations in sandy beaches, especially among macrofauna (e.g., sandhoppers and ocypodid crabs). These ecosystems also iv Sandy Beaches as Endangered Ecosystems have several other important ecological functions, such as their crucial contribution in the decomposition of organic matter and in nutrients recycling, being functional links between the terrestrial and the marine domains. The comprehension of these features is extremely important to help decision makers opting for the most adequate solution when problems arise, as well as raising awareness among common citizens to adopt more ecological and sustainable behaviours. The example of the 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic, during which some municipalities around the world executed a sand disinfection with sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in public beaches. Unaware that a sandy beach is a living entity, those who employed this strategy with good intentions, contributed to an ecological crime. It is hoped that the information provided by this book, as well as other similar publications, may reach public opinion to avoid similar situations in the future. From an anthropocentric perspective, beaches offer several goods and services to humans. They are fishing areas for fish, shellfish and bait harvesting; offer coastal protection from extreme storm surges; and keep a multitude of touristic and recreational activities. Beaches are vital for tourism-based economies. In many regions of the world (for instance, in the Mediterranean), these ecosystems are the main asset that allows maintaining the tourism industry. Hence, tourism in coastal zones and recreational activities on the beach have drastically intensified in the last decades, acting as extra stressors, besides the ones derived from increased urbanization in the coastline, caused by the growth and expansion of human populations. Presently, sandy beaches are also one of the most endangered ecosystems on our planet. A vast array of human activities and infrastructures severely affect these environments, especially in the most populated coastal areas. In fact, most countries that have a straight connection with the sea, present a higher population density near the coast than on their inland territory. For instance, the introduction of urbanistic and touristic facilities on the beach and its surrounding areas, often causes habitat degradation and fragmentation, disturbance of the ecological balance in these natural areas, as well as simultaneously promoting beach erosion. On the other hand, global climate changes and their consequences, such as retrieval of the coastline driven by sea level rise, are already an imminent threat in several coastal areas around the world. In this context, monitoring and assessing the environmental disturbances occurring in sandy beaches, and the responses of their different components (biotic and abiotic), has become a priority, if adequate management and conservation strategies are to be developed and implemented. Specific tools encompassing the physical environment and the biota, at different levels of ecological organization, as well as suitable management, conservation actions and programmes where the ecologic, economic and social dimensions are comprehensively integrated, are therefore pivotal. Relying on the vast expertise and understanding of a team with internationally renowned scientists, who have joined us on this adventure, this book aims to consolidate knowledge about these issues. It also intends to point out future directions that can guide researchers, managers, stakeholders, policy decision makers, plus graduation and post-graduation students, towards a more sustainable path while working with sandy beaches. Only this way will we continue Preface v to enjoy nature and the environment that surround us, hopefully in a conscious and respectful way. Meanwhile, we still can have the privilege of putting our bare feet firmly in the sand, feel its grains caress our soles, running in between our toes. We may scrutinize the horizon, stare at the tranquilizing beauty of a sunset or a sunrise on the beach (depending on where we stand) and be cradled by the sound of the waves crashing into the shore. As we close our eyes and take a deep breath, we may linger on the idea that tomorrow will be another day. Editors Sílvia C. Gonçalves Peniche, Portugal Susana M.F. Ferreira Coimbra, Portugal Acknowledgements The editors would like to thank all the authors for their fruitful collaboration in preparing this book. The authors’ notable contributory chapters, sharing of expertise knowledge and diligent efforts to prepare them on the most comprehensive way, were mainly appreciated. In individual terms, SCG would like to thank her family for their encouragement and unconditional support, whenever she predisposes to do something new, and all her students interested in marine ecology for the soulful strength they give her, which allowed to keep this flame alive. SMFF feels overwhelmed by the invitation of her colleague SCG to get on board of this adventure, but also by the authors’ kind readiness to embrace the idea of materializing this book and compile current information on sandy beaches. She is grateful to all of those (family, friends, students, colleagues and peers) that during her life have contributed in some way to carry on her passion for the sea and its life forms. Finally, to all of those who will read or consult this book, the editors and authors express their gratitude for your interest and hope that somehow the information provided helps to contribute for the conservation of coastal environments. Editors Sílvia C. Gonçalves Susana M.F. Ferreira Contents Preface iii Acknowledgements vii 1. Sandy Beach Heterogeneity: Intertidal and Supralittoral Communities 1 Leonardo L. Costa, Abílio Soares-Gomes and Ilana R. Zalmon 2. The Biology and Ecology of Sandy Beach Surf Zones 26 Jose R. Marin Jarrin, Alan L. Shanks and Jessica A. Miller 3. Human Impacts over Sandy Beaches 54 María Victoria Laitano, Nicolás Mariano Chiaradia and Jesús Darío Nuñez 4. Urbanization of Coastal Areas: Loss of Coastal Dune Ecosystems in Japan 89 Hajime Matsushima and Susana M.F. Ferreira 5. Strategies to Mitigate Coastal Erosion 107 Carlos Coelho, Ana Margarida Ferreira and Rita Pombo 6. Exploring the Sun and the Sea— Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Tools Regarding Touristic and Recreational Activities on Coastal and Beach Systems 133 João Paulo Jorge, Paulo F.C. Lourenço, Verónica N. Oliveira and Ilaha Guliyeva 7. Validation and Use of Biological Metrics for the Diagnosis of Sandy Beach Health 154 Jenyffer Vierheller Vieira and Carlos Alberto Borzone 8. Conservation Shortcuts: A Promisor Approach for Impact Assessments and Management of Sandy Beaches 180 Leonardo Lopes Costa, Nina Aguiar Mothé, Ariane da Silva Oliveira and Vitor Figueira Arueira

See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.