Beach and Dune Restoration Book

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 The need for restoration 1

The problem 1

Human modifications 4

Values, goods, and services of beaches and dunes 6

The need for restoring beaches and dunes 7

Definitions and approaches to restoration 10

The elusiveness of a time-dependent target state 14

Types of restoration projects 15

Scope of book 16

2 Beach nourishment and impacts 19

The potential for restoration 19

General design considerations 20

Sediment characteristics 23

Potential negative impacts of nourishment operations 24

Alternative practices to minimize environmental losses and enhance values 36

Alternative designs for beach fills 43

Restoring sediment characteristics 44

Monitoring and adaptive management 47

Concluding statement 47

3 Dune building practices and impacts 49

Characteristics of human-altered dunes 49

Dunes built by aeolian transport from nourished beaches 50

Building dunes by deposit of fill from external sources 52

Building dunes by beach scraping 54

Building dunes using sand fences 56

Building dunes using vegetation 59

Building dunes using multiple strategies 63

Concluding statement 64

4 Restoring processes, structure, and functions 66

Increasing complexity and dynamism 66

The issue of dynamism 66

Altering or removing shore protection structures 70

Restricting beach raking 75

Restricting driving on beaches and dunes 77

Removing or altering sand-trapping fences 77

Protecting endangered species 78

Altering growing conditions 79

Replacing vegetation 83

Restoring slacks 88

Allowing time for naturalization 90

Determining appropriate levels of dynamism 91

Offsite activities 92

Concluding statement93

5 Options in spatially restricted environments 94

Alternative restoration outcomes 94

Natural gradient 96

Truncated gradient 99

Compressed gradient 99

Expanded gradient 101

Fragmented and decoupled gradients 103

Implications 104

6 A locally based program for beach and dune restoration 107

The need for local action 107

Gaining acceptance for natural landforms and habitats 108

Identifying reference conditions 110

Establishing demonstration sites 111

Developing guidelines and protocols 114

Developing and implementing public education programs 123

Maintaining and evaluating restored environments 125

7 Stakeholder interests, conflicts, and co-operation 129

Obtaining public support 129

The need for compromise solutions 131

Contrasts in stakeholder perceptions and values 131

Stakeholder actions 134

The resulting landscape 140

8 Research needs 141

Introduction 141

Nourishing beaches 141

Building dunes 147

Accommodating or controlling dynamism 148

Options in spatially restricted environments 150

Addressing stakeholder concerns and needs 150

Maintaining and evaluating restored environments 152

Concluding statement 153

References 154

Index 184