AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE COASTAL
ZONES MANAGEMENT IN GREECE
YIANNIS XENIDIS1, DEMOS ANGELIDES1, ILIAS TZIAVOS2, CHRISTOFOROS KOUTITAS1,
PARASKEVAS SAVVAIDIS1
1
Department of Civil Engineering
2
Department of Rural & Surveying Engineering
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – 54124 – Thessaloniki
GREECE
Abstract: The European Union over the last decade has demonstrated a persistent will to promote coastal zone
management. A framework of Directives, demonstration programs, research and networks funding and efforts to
motivate national resources has identified and promoted the general direction that national coastal zone
management policies should be addressed. In Greece the legal framework has been modernised but still remains at
the high level of planning. Greece, the E.U. member state with the most extended coastline is missing an integrated
framework of sustainable coastal zones management. This paper presents the architecture of such a framework and
the integrated GIS-based tool that supports it. The development of the framework from spatial data collection to the
assessment of the current status of a coastal zone, through data elaboration with the support of appropriate
statistical and environmental computational systems is step-by-step presented. The most important issue is the
ability to forecast future coastal zone condition and take prompt decisions according to regional planning. The
realization of this framework will provide a sound base for sustainable coastal zone management in Greece.
Key-Words: - Sustainability, Coastal management, Environment, Regional Planning, GIS
1 Introduction
On 30 May 2002 the fifteen Member States of the
European Union (EU) adopted the European
Parliament
and
Council
Recommendation
(2002/413/CE) on integrated coastal zone
management (ICZM) in Europe. This document was
the result of a demonstration programme launched on
1996 that aimed to provide technical information
about sustainable coastal zone management and
stimulate a broad debate among the various actors
involved in the planning, management or use of
European coastal zones. The Recommendation [1]
addressed a strategic approach, principles, national
strategies and cooperation needs appropriate for an
ICZM in Europe. Based on the proposals of this
document the EU promoted coordinated actions
towards the gradual implementation of the
Recommendation’s proposals in the countries with
coastal zones. In Greece the publication of a law in
2001 modernised the existing at the time framework
that was in force since 1940. This new law along
with the provisions of other - equally new - laws
concerning urban development and regional planning
has addressed the major directives that were provided
by the related European Recommendations. From
this point beyond, the management of coastal zones
remains paperwork. The aim of this paper is to
describe the architecture of an integrated GIS-based
framework to implement ICZM in Greece. Specific
issues and problems at the national level are
presented in brief to explain why such a framework
should become a top priority for the next years. A
sound methodology and the tools to implement such
a framework are analysed.
2 The coastal zone in Greece
2.1 The problems and the need for action
Greece has the largest coastal zone in the
Mediterranean Sea. The coastline length is
approximately 17.000 km (about 12.000 km the
islands and 5.000 km the mainland) and the coastal
deterioration of coastal areas is rapid and irreversible
and generates social and economical problems, which
Problem
Increasing urbanisation
Badly planned tourist developments
Washing of inland generated pollution into the sea
via streams and rivers
Poorly conceived transport networks
Maritime accidents (oil slicks and chemical spills)
Natural habitat destruction
Erosion
Impact
1. Huge increase in the number of second homes built in EU
coastal regions.
2. Destruction of fragile natural habitats.
3. Overloading of the natural environment’s ability to absorb
pollutants due to waste disposal systems and septic tanks of
houses.
1. Huge strain on local supplies of fresh water.
2. Inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste.
3. Consume of large amounts of fossil fuels for cooking,
heating, vehicles, and pleasure crafts.
4. Detrimental effect on existing local industries and on the
social fabric of local communities.
1. Pollution.
1.
2.
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Pollution, overcrowding, and habitat destruction.
Poor accessibility to tourist resorts and destinations.
Pollution.
Alterations of the sea floor, beaches and shorelines.
Destruction of wetlands.
Dramatic reductions in fish stocks due to over-fishing.
Reduction of water resources and coastal erosion.
Loss of land of ecological and economic value.
Loss of property.
Risk to human lives.
Destruction of natural sea defences.
Undermining of artificial sea defences.
Table 1. Man made pressures on the coastal zone in the EU
zone extends over 131.957 km2 [2]. In this area,
about 40% of the total population leaves (density of
population: 110 persons/km2) and works in several
economic activities such as fishery, tourism,
agriculture, services and industry. Considering these,
it is well reasonable to expect serious man made
pressures to the environment. Such pressures may be
of different intensity but they are of the same content
and impact compared to the relevant pressures
identified in every European coastal zone. Table 1
summarizes these pressures as identified in the EU’s
official information brochure on ICZM [3]. A very
important issue not stressed in this brochure,
probably because it is a unique problem in Greece, is
the illegal building on coastal zones. Despite how
odd it may sound, there is an extensive illegal
building of houses at a first level and buildings of
commercial use at a second one, which has a
dramatic impact on the coastal zone’s morphology,
physical environment and natural resources. The
are hard to confront.
Apart from the man made pressures, there are natural
phenomena (water currents, sediment flows, storms)
with negative impact on the environment and
development of coastal zones. Therefore, regarding
the socio-economic and environmental importance of
the coastal zone and the need for compliance with the
EU’s related policies, it becomes evident that there is
a demand for continuous monitoring of coastal zones
in order to acquire the input required to implement
the sustainable coastal development strategies.
2.2 Extending the state-of-the-art
A variety of techniques have been developed over the
past several decades to monitor coastal change and to
calculate long-term erosion rates. Most of these
methods use maps, aerial photographs, satellite
images and Global Positioning System (GPS) data to
establish historical and recent shoreline positions [4]
as well as to study morphologic change [5]. Another
approach is the implementation of terrestrial,
airborne [6] and satellite techniques and
methodologies, (like the – E.U. funded - GAVDOS
project monitoring sea level changes in Crete [7])
combined with GIS applications for analysing and
storing the collected data. Morphodynamic models
are also required as tools to analyse erosion
problems, assess morphological impacts of human
interference (at several scales), and contribute to the
design of coastal defences. In the last decade a
number of quasi-3D models were developed [8], [9],
[10] to provide a detailed description of breaking and
non-breaking wave propagation.
Finally, coastal engineers use simplified analytical
approaches [11] to estimate long shore and crossshore sediment transport balance and to predict
morphology changes. The present state-of-the-art
allows the combined application of quasi-3D and
simplified approaches for the prediction of coastal
morphology evolution.
The approaches mentioned above can provide
significant input to an integrated framework that
would aim to sustainable management of coastal
zones. However, Greece lacks such a framework and,
therefore, the efforts remain scattered and
undervalued. Existing spatial and terrestrial databases
for coastal zones are incomplete and not integrated
with socio-economic development data to allow an
integrated management approach of coastal zones.
Moreover, these databases are in different forms and
located in different places, thus preventing from
direct access by those public agencies and designers
that are involved in coastal planning efforts. The
scope of this paper is to provide a sound - step-bystep - methodological approach, to create for the first
time in Greece a framework for sustainable coastal
management. This framework, upon implementation,
is expected to allow direct access to various
information and data for coastal zones, through a
web-based GIS-tool. This tool will also provide
present and future instances of a coastal zone in
Greece, assisting in this way to decision making
regarding present conditions and future potentials for
coastal development.
3 Methodological approach for a
coastal management framework
Considering the ICZM initiative taken by the EU and
the consequent efforts that addressed a strategy and
certain provisions for coastal management (see [12]
for a short review of EU relevant policies) the main
objective of successful coastal management is to
support the sustainability of the urban and economic
development of a coastal zone. This sustainability has
to consider the dynamic evolution of natural (waves,
currents, sediment transport) and man made (nonoptimal coastal structures) pressures, where natural
environment and ecosystems are in continuous
conflict with the socio-economic demands.
The achievement of this multi-parametric objective
could be based on the development and application of
a modern, self contained, technological framework
that
would
combine
spatial
monitoring,
computational modelling of coastal dynamics, remote
sensing and analysis of aerial photography and
geographical information system (GIS) techniques,
all organized in a coherent entity.
The specific steps towards the development of this
framework are (Fig. 1):
1. Spatial and terrestrial data analysis
2. Computational modelling of coastal processes
3. Analysis of urban and rural status of coastal
zones
4. Synthesis of relational databases and GIS
In the following subsections these steps are presented
in detail.
Spatial and terrestrial data
analysis
GIS
Tool
Computational
modelling of coastal
processes
Analysis of urban
and rural status of
coastal zones
Figure 1. The integration of steps for the generation
of a framework for sustainable coastal management
3.1 Spatial and terrestrial data analysis
A coastal zone management framework requires the
largest possible volume of relevant data. There is a
considerable effort done at the European level in
creating databases for spatial assessment of the coasts
[12]. However, several limitations and restrictions in
data availability and inconsistencies among different
databases have been noticed [12]. Moreover, there
are different approaches at the national level
concerning the legal content of the term “coastal
zone”. For example the Spanish law identifies a
coastal zone as a 100m-width strip of land around the
coast, while the Greek law does not provide a single
and clear definition for the coastal zone but only for a
part of it [2]. Therefore, it is important to collect
additional data at the local level to represent reality in
an accurate and complete mode. Acquiring and
organizing of such input into robust databases could
be based on the actions presented in the next
subsections.
3.1.1 Definition of the considered coastal zones on
physical and socio-economic grounds.
A coastal zone seldom corresponds to existing
administrative or planning units. It could be defined,
as a spatial unit that involves a strip of land and water
(sea, river, lake) of varying width that may extend in
a large area, wherein the environment and human
activities are developing in relation to the coast.
Therefore, it is clear that substantial research is
crucial to conduct in order to define coastal zones in
Greece especially due to the great extend of the
coastline and the numerous economic and social
activities involved. A proper adjustment of the Land
and Ecosystem Accounting (LEAC) methodology
[12] to the Greek standards could serve as an analysis
tool for this task. The output of this action should be
several topographic plans of the coastal strips in
appropriate scales to be further monitored and
analysed.
3.1.2 Collection of spatial and terrestrial data
The previously defined coastal zones should be
scrutinized to collect available data on coastal
morphology, hydrology, geology and the existing
land uses. Data collection should be based on two
techniques:
1. Remote sensing techniques, such as aerial photos
existing from public agencies (as the ministry of
agriculture or the army) or new ones and satellite
images.
2. Traditional techniques such as topographic and
hydrographic maps (available from public
agencies such as the Surveying Secretariat of the
Hellenic Republic), geological maps (available
from public agencies such as the Hellenic
Institute of Geological and Mineral Studies), land
uses information (available from public agencies
such as the urban planning public offices) and
coastal zone evolution information (provided
through comparison of earlier mapping of the
coastal zones and current situation).
Between the two above techniques, the remote
sensing data collection is the most appropriate for
coastal zones in Greece because of the following
reasons:
1. The coastline length and coastal zone areas are
large figures and, therefore, the required data for
sustainable management must be collected easily
and fast.
2. There are many remote and inaccessible coastal
areas that prevent any mapping techniques for
data collection.
3. Housing and economic development of coastal
zones is evolving rapidly, thus rendering maps
out of date.
However, there is still limited familiarity and
exploitation of this technology in Greece mainly due
to the limited in-house expertise. Therefore, a
combined use of both modern and traditional spatial
and terrestrial data collection is required to achieve
acquisition of the major part of the necessary data to
include in a spatial and terrestrial database integrated
into a GIS tool.
3.1.3 Integration in a reference topographic frame
The vast amount of data collected should be unified
and homogenized in one single reference system that
can support the generation of a unified database. This
database would be integrated into and exploited by a
GIS tool. Aerial Photographs and satellite images
should also be geo-referenced into the same reference
system to obtain vector graphical data. Finally,
digital elevation models (DEM) and digital depth
models (DDM) per area can be derived from the
available topographic maps, which will be
subsequently overlaid to the aerial photographs and
the topographic drawings.
The output of this action would be the generation of
digital maps that will provide also information on
morphology, land uses, etc.
3.2 Computational modelling of coastal
processes
Having mapped the current situation of the coastal
zones, the next step is to develop and use
computational models that will reflect the dynamic
processes,
which
occur
at
the
coast
(erosion/accretion) and have an impact on the
morphology. The issue of coastal erosion is highly
stressed by the EU ([13],[14]). The Eurosion project
[15] has been dealing in depth with coastal erosion at
the European level (including Greece). Therefore, an
integrated coastal management framework for Greece
should be compatible to respective international
projects in order to draw and provide information,
data and results towards sustainable coastal zone
management.
Application of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic
existing computational models have to be used to
simulate the respective coastal processes in hindcast
mode to estimate evolution under wave attack and
man made pressures. These estimations and the
computational tools used for them, need to be
applicable to a GIS operational tool and, therefore,
the development of an appropriate user friendly,
software package is required. Upon realization of this
process, the mechanisms and the specific features
that drive coastal morphology evolution of each
specific coastal zone must be quantified and
documented, thus, allowing the forecast for future
changes of the coastal environment due to natural
erosion / accretion processes.
The computational part of the coastal management
framework can be realized through the actions
presented in the next subsections:
3.2.1 Wave climate assessment and sediment
balance estimation
The computations on wave climate assessment (i.e.
wave direction, significant wave height, peak period
of the spectrum, and frequency of occurrence) can be
based on appropriate wind data and known wave
prediction methods. The data can be derived from
national
public
agencies
(e.g.
National
Meteorological Service) or other sources such as the
GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and
Security) Coastwatch project [16] which provides
global quality assured wind and wave observations,
global hindcasts and wind and wave forecast 5 days
ahead in time fully automated every six hours 7 days
per week [12]. From the available meteorological
information and wave prediction algorithms, the
offshore wave characteristics and wave statistics can
be estimated. The application of wave refraction
algorithms will, consequently, transform the wave
data to the near-shore values. These values will
consist the input for the application of wellconfirmed analytical methods (e.g. those proposed in
Coastal Engineering Manual of U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers) to estimate long-shore and cross-shore
sediment transport balance. In this balance sediments
from rivers, or losses, such as undersea canyons,
should also be considered.
3.2.2 Application of quasi-3D long-shore and
cross-shore models in hindcast mode to explain
and forecast evolution of the coastlines
The prediction of the future coastline evolution can
be achieved with the application of existing up-todate quasi-3D sediment transport models. Such
models can simulate breaking and non-breaking wave
propagation, quasi-3D wave induced currents,
sediment transport and bed morphology evolution.
Therefore, the specific mechanisms for a coastal area
that drive the observed coastal morphology evolution
will be quantifiable and recordable and ready to be
used in sustainable coastal planning.
3.3 Analysis of urban and rural status of
coastal zones
A complete approach for sustainable coastal
management must incorporate the current status of
the coastal zone in terms of urban and rural
development. Moreover, it has to incorporate
prediction methods and tools for the evaluation of
future development and assessment of the consequent
impact on the coastal zone. This is significant for the
decision-making, planning and development of a
strategy for sustainable development. This direction
is also emphasized in the Recommendation
2002/413/CE (Chapters III - IV) [1].
At the European level a Working Group on Indicators
and Data (WG-ID) established by EU ICZM in 2002
drew up a set of 27 indicators of sustainable
development (SD indicators) of the coastal zone [17].
These indicators were evaluated and tested in several
occasions with the participation of hundred
practitioners in EU member states. The evaluation
process is still ongoing and expected to be completed
by the end of 2005. These indicators will have an
essential place in the vision of the 2006 State of
Coasts assessment by the European Environmental
Agency [12] and ICZM is implemented based on
them; therefore the presented framework for
sustainable coastal zone management (FSCZM) in
Greece needs to address them properly. The
indicators and the respective measurements are
presented in Table 2.
Some of the indicators presented in Table 2 are
already treated in previous steps of the presented
FSCZM (e.g. 2,3,6,7,8,17,25,26), while the others
need to be addressed in this step through the actions
presented in the next subsections.
current trends and figures of the indicators will be
part of the database incorporated to the GIS tool.
The most important outcome will be the assistance
that the FSCZM will offer to the regional
administrations concerning the decision-making over
future planning of coastal zones. The planning and
development strategy, the respective administrative
and technical measures, the engineering coastal
defense measures and the whole vision about the
coastal zones will be designed and executed based on
the FSCZM’s platform (GIS tool).
3.4 Synthesis of relational database and GIS
3.3.1 Collection of coastal development data and
information
Considering Table 2, the issues related to sustainable
coastal management which are not yet addressed into
the FSCZM can be grouped as follows:
 Socio-economic related indicators: 1, 11, 21, 22,
and 27
Environmental related indicators: 9, 10, 18, 19,
23 and 24
 Tourism related indicators: 5, 14, 15, and 16
 Transportation related indicators: 4 and 13
This is a gross classification, which serves only for
distinguishing, at an initial level, the various sources
that can provide related data and information. Such
sources are public agencies, regional administrations
and ministries, academic and research institutions,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Technical Chamber,
non-governmental organizations, consumer unions,
etc.
This vast volume of data is essential for the FSCZM
to generate the real current situation of coastal zones
in Greece and provide a solid base for predictions
and decision-making concerning future activities and
man pressures on the coastal zones.
3.3.2 Analysis and exploitation of coastal
development data and information
The collected data and information will require
proper analysis so it can be transformed into the
knowledge that will be integrated with the GIS tool.
This analysis, mainly, involves statistical tools and
economic models to extract current and predict future
trends regarding coastal zone development. The
The approach presented so far for the generation of
the FSCZM must be realized in a user-friendly
software tool that will have the capacity to handle the
generated knowledge from the previous steps and
generate presentations of the coastal zone’s current
status but also future forecasts of coastal zone’s
evolution due to natural and man made pressures.
Figure 2 presents the architecture of this tool, which
is identical to the overall framework as described in
this paper. The most appropriate technology for this
tool is a Geographical Information System (GIS).
The appropriateness of GIS for integrating the data
and information collected through the process
described is confirmed by numerous applications in
several fields, where the GIS framework is used for
this purpose. In the FSCZM context, the GIS should:
(a) Incorporate knowledge and relate a coastal area
with the natural phenomena and man made activities
with significant impact and (b) act, concurrently
through appropriate linkage, with the computational
models and tools for the coastal zone management
addressed in section 3.2. The achievement of this last
step towards the generation of the FSCZM is
explained in the next subsections.
3.4.1 Transfer of collected information to GIS
The datasets collected and processed should enter
into the GIS through manual digitizing and scanning
of analogue (paper) maps, aerial and satellite image
data, transfer of data from existing digital sources,
and direct data entry including surveying and GPS
measurements. Upon achieving the reference system
unification of the collected data, as described above
No
INDICATORS
MEASUREMENTS
1
Demand for property on the coast
• Size and structure of the population living on the coast
2
Area of built-up land
• Percent of built-up land by distance from the coastline
3
Rate of development of previously undeveloped land
• Area converted from non-developed to developed land uses
4
5
Demand for road travel on the coast
Pressure for coastal and marine recreation
• Volume of traffic on coastal motorways and major roads
• Number of berths and moorings for recreational boating
6
Land take by intensive agriculture
• Proportion of agricultural land farmed intensively
7
Amount of semi-natural habitat
• Area of semi-natural habitat
8
Area of land and sea protected by statutory designations
• Area protected for nature conservation, landscape and heritage
9
Effective management of designated sites
• Rate of loss of, or damage to, protected areas
10
Change to significant coastal and marine habitats and
species
• Status and trend of specified habitats and species
• Number of species per habitat type
11
Loss of cultural distinctiveness
12
Patterns of sectoral employment
13
Volume of port traffic
• Number of Red List coastal area species
• Number and value of sales of local products with regional quality
labels or European PDO/PGI/TSG (1)
• Full time, part time and seasonal employment per sector
• Value added per sector
• Number of incoming and outgoing passengers per port
• Total volume of goods handled per port
• Proportion of goods carried by short sea routes
14
Intensity of tourism
• Number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation
• Occupancy rate of bed places
15
Sustainable tourism
• Number of tourist accommodations holding EU Eco-label (2)
• Ratio of overnight stays to number of residents
16
Quality of bathing water
17
Amount of coastal, estuarine and marine litter
• Percent of bathing waters compliant with the guide value of the
European Bathing Water Directive (3)
• Volume of litter collected per given length of shoreline
18
Concentration of nutrients in coastal waters
• Concentration of nitrates and phosphates in coastal waters
19
Amount of oil pollution
• Volume of accidental oil spills
• Number of observed oil slicks from aerial surveillance
20
Degree of social cohesion
• Indices of social exclusion by area
21
Relative household prosperity
• Average household income
• Percent of population with a higher education qualification
22
23
Second and holiday homes
Fish stocks and fish landings
• Value of residential property
• Ratio of first to second and holiday homes
• State of the main fish stocks by species and sea area
• Recruitment and spawning stock biomass by species
• Landings and fish mortality by species
• Value of landings by port and species
24
Water consumption
• Number of days of reduced supply
25
Sea level rise and extreme weather conditions
26
Coastal erosion and accretion
• Number of ‘stormy days’
• Rise in sea level relative to land
• Length of protected and defended coastline
• Length of dynamic coastline
• Area and volume of sand nourishment
27
Natural, human and economic assets at risk
• Number of people living within an ‘at risk’ zone
• Area of protected sites within an ‘at risk’ zone
• Value of economic assets within an ‘at risk’ zone.
(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/quali1_en.htm
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
(3) http://europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/index_en.html
Table 2. Indicators of sustainable development of the coastal zone (Source: [17])
Topographic
Scheme
Maps, Aerial
and Satellite
Images
Public Agencies
Universities
Research Centers
GIS Tool
feedback
Data Base
Spatial –
Terrestrial
Data
Computational
Systems
Forecast
Tabular data
Socio- economic
activities
information
Collection of
Data and
Information
Environmental
Data
(wave,
quasi-3D,
sediment transport
models, etc.)
represents
Instance of
Coastal Zone
Urban
Development
Data
(statistical
models, etc.)
Period Between Instances
Instance of
Coastal Zone
(Verification –
New Forecast)
Figure 2. The architecture of the FSCZM
(section 3.1.3), this should be imported to GIS so as
available data, derive the requested information and
to be readily usable by the Regional Environmental
develop scenarios of future development based on
Authorities, striving to support the sustainable
input information. Therefore, an interface is required
development of an area, under the conflicting natural
between them and the GIS tool. Similar interfaces
and socio-economic interests. At each stage of data
have been generated and tested in other cases, e.g. a
input, data verification should be done to ensure that
study on the northern Adriatic Sea [18] where an
the resulting database is as error free as possible. All
integrated modeling approach was adopted involving
layers of the relevant geographically distributed
a groundwater flow model, natural and anthropogenic
descriptive data must be organized in digital
land subsidence models, tidal-storm surge, and wave
databases. The GIS tool’s architecture must allow
models coupled through a GIS with a DEM of the
easy application on different coastal regions with
area addressed by the study. The results generated by
various types of information and of various
the tool proved to be very important, thus rendering
distributions in terms of geography. The
the technique and a very promising tool for the
incorporation of the spatial and descriptive databases
analysis, control, and effective management of
in the GIS system requires the generation of
coastal areas. In the case of FSCZM a different
databases with specific attribute fields for each data
coupling between the computational models and the
type, which will contain all needed information in a
GIS tool should be investigated to incorporate wave
user friendly and manageable format.
climate, hydrodynamics and morphodynamics data
(wave height distribution in the coastal area under
different wind conditions, wave induced currents,
3.4.2 Integration of the computational models with
sediment balance estimation along each coastal unit,
the GIS tool
sediment transport rates and the resulting
The several computational models used in the
morphology changes), together with the other
previous steps of the generation of the FSCZM must
collected and generated information (urban and
be linked with the GIS operational tool to manage the
structural data).
4 Conclusion
Coastal zone management in the European Union has
become a major policy. In Greece there is in force a
modern legal framework that needs the appropriate
implementation tools to be applied in the field. In this
paper a framework for the sustainable coastal zone
management in Greece has been presented and
analyzed. The appropriate steps that include
definition of coastal zones based on socioeconomic
grounds, spatial and terrestrial data collection for
these zones, integration in a reference topographic
frame, computation of natural (e.g. wave climate
assessment and sediment balance estimation) and
man made pressures and integration of urban
development data to a single GIS-based supporting
tool are presented and explained. The architecture of
the framework and tool graphically presents the
methodology to apply. The presented framework will
have the capability to represent an instance of the
coastal zone in the form of a GIS map with the
related information drawn from the integrated
databases. Furthermore, it will be able to forecast
future instances and, therefore, it will be useful for
decision making and planning of coastal zones.
The aim to achieve sustainable coastal management
in Greece will be heavily assisted by the application
of the presented framework. The use of remote
sensing technology in the data collection and
evaluation processes will render this technology more
accessible and familiar to more public agencies and
professionals. This will have a direct impact of major
significance to proper planning and development of
coastal areas, because of the appropriateness of
remote sensing technology for this task [19].
Future work may include proper adjustments for the
integrated framework to be easily accessible via the
Internet [20]. The realization of this would:
 Facilitate the dissemination of the assessments
drawn in the framework’s context.
 Allow updating of the developed databases.
 Facilitate and enforce the impact assessment of
existing and planned policies.
References:
[1] Recommendation of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 30 May 2002 concerning the
implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone
Management, Official Journal of the European
Communities, 2002.
[2] Coccossis, H. and Mexa, A., The Coastal zone,
Ministry of Physical Planning, the Environment and
Public Works: “Man and Environment in Greece”,
Athens, 2002 (In Greek)
[3] European Commission, E.U. focus on coastal
zones, Office for Official Publications of the
European Communities, Luxembourg, 2001, pp. 129.
[4] Thieler, E.R. and Danforth, W.W., Historical
shoreline mapping (I): improving techniques and
reducing positioning errors, Journal of Coastal
Research, Vol.10, No.3, 1994, pp. 549-563
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