Impact o f beach no urishm e nt on coastal ecosystems w ith
recom m endations fo r coastal policy in Belgium
Vanden Eede Sarah
Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Gent, Belgium
E-mail: vanden.eede.sarah@ qmail.com
Sandy shores or beaches line 70% o f the w o rld ’s oceans, including the entire Belgian coastline. They
have a m ultitu de o f ecosystem fu nctio ns, co nstitu te an im p o rta n t habitat fo r a variety o f fauna and
flo ra and hold im p o rta n t econom ic, social and cultural value as prime recreational assets.
Predictions on sea level rise, intensified storm s, accelerated erosion and flo od risk fo r the North Sea
have led to the d ra fting o f the Belgian Integrated Coastal Safety Plan. In order to protect the Belgian
coastline on a short and long term basis (up to 2050), the Belgian sandy beaches face a m ultitu de o f
beach nourishm ent activities over the next years. This soft coastal defence measure safeguards the
natural dynamics o f the coast and has little im pact on the beach ecology and to u rism com pared to
o the r options. However, to g e th e r w ith the m ultitu de o f human beach functions, beach nourishm ent
pote ntia lly threatens the natural balance o f the beach and coastal ecosystem.
In th is PhD thesis, 16 Belgian beaches, sampled over 14 years, were analysed in o rd er to understand
the natural va ria b ility o f th is sandy beach ecosystem. By means o f m on itoring the ecological beach
nourishm ent on the Belgian beach o f Lom bardsijde, possible im pact effects were unraveled. The
com bination o f mesocosm experim ents and both m odeling and biological valuation techniques gave
valuable insights into more ecologically adjusted beach nourishm ents. As m anagem ent o f the
coastal zone is clearly a m ulti-faceted and com plex endeavour, where the interests o f several
stakeholders need to be com bined, coastal m anagem ent desperately needs ecological dim ensions.
The gathered scientific knowledge fro m m on itoring data, experim ents, biological valuation maps
and m odel predictions is used to provide guidelines fo r ecologically good practice o f beach
nourishm ent, m on itoring protocols and decision su pp ort to ols fo r m anaging the Belgian beach
ecosystem in a sustainable way.
This PhD research has been prom oted by Prof. Dr. Magda Vincx and Prof. Dr. Steven Degraer. Sarah
Vanden Eede is trained as a b io lo g ist (Master in Biology) and as a marine b io lo g ist (Master in Marine
and Lacustrine Sciences). Financial su pp ort was provided by Vlaamse overheid, Agentschap voor
Maritiem e D ienstverlening en Kust, A fde lin g Kust and Ghent University. The thesis has been
subm itted in partial fu lfilm e n t o f the requirem ents fo r the degree o f D octor in Science, Marine
Sciences.
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