The Beachmed-e Project
is a Regional Framework Operation (RFO) between Regione Lazio, (IT), leader
partner, Regione Emilia Romagna (IT), Regione Toscana (IT), Regione Liguria
(IT), Conseil Général de l’Hérault (FR), Service Maritime et Navigation du
Languedoc-Roussillon (FR), Generalitat Catalunya (ES), East Macedonia and
Thrace Region (GR), Crete Region (GR).
The main objective of
the project is to pinpoint and improve technical and administrative tools for a
strategic management of the coastal defence, in order to achieve a sustainable
development of the Mediterranean coastal zones, by developing the topics
already dealt with by the previous BEACHMED project (Interreg IIIB - Medocc). The
Project has been officially launched in July 2005 and will end in June 2008,
covering a total period of 36 months. Its total budget is of 7.668.366,50
euros, partly financed by FEDER (54%), and partly co-financed (46%) by the
partners.
Sandy coastal stretches in the industrialised countries are strategically important for sustainable development. In these areas, social and economic interests and the protection of natural ecosystems must meet the target of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Due to their position, the development potential of communities situated in European low coastal areas is high and important. The following may be mentioned:
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Development of urban infrastructures
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Development of tourist infrastructures
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Development of industrial and commercial activities linked to port infrastructures and multimode transport nodes
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Development of habitat having a special meaning and a unique value
However, beaches are delimited along the coastline, by a demarcating line. From the morphologic point of view, this line is an area where a delicate balance exists between sea action and the presenceof sand along the coast. This territory is especially delicate if we consider some phenomena having reached a global relevance and structurally linked to our modern development model:
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Vulnerability to the consequences of green-house effect (rising sea level, greater intensity of meteoric marine events)
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Vulnerability to reduced river sediment load transport (dams, river defence & river training measures, erosion control measures, extensive presence of paved area in river catchments)
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Vulnerability to the loss of natural protection areas due to uncontrolled urban development (posidonia fields, dune systems, autochthon coastal vegetation)
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Vulnerability to coastal infrastructures affecting sediment transport along the coastline (ports, piers, dams, breakwaters, reefs…)
It is necessary to define global strategies and long term measures for each of the above-mentioned vulnerabilities, which as a whole cause a remarkable erosion to the coastline and subsequently result in an economic and environmental damage. Based on what it is already been said for the
BEACHMED project, it was possible to set up actions to improve quality within this delicate sector, by implementing in a more advanced way some of the issues underway that proved to be strategic, thus obtaining very useful practical results on some entire European territories. Moreover, we developed organisation structures capable of managing these issues at a European level. As a matter of fact, within the European coastal zones policy (Note of the European Commission to the Council and to the European Parliament on the integrated management of coastal zones: a strategy for Europe– COM/2000/547), attention has been focused on the need to use integrated planning models which take into account the many problematic factors within this territory. When the coastal zone planning development does not consider that fact that this some costal zone might “disappear”, it is clear that every initiative in this sense is going to fail. Basically, if the problem of coastal erosion is not seen as a structural problem of our modern development model, if we are not able to define concrete long term measures having a low impact on the environmental in order to combat coastal erosion, every single policy or planning of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is not going to succeed. The project title makes explicit reference to an evolution of the
BEACHMED project and focuses on the “management” aspect of the problem, since we expect specific results in this sense.
The erosion phenomenon of low coasts is even more evident because of the high and ever increasing demand of coastal spaces due to the high development potential. This also highlights its sensitivity regarding the coast periodic or seasonal regressions. Omitting the great planetary topics linked to green-house effect and that go beyond this operation, the main active and passive actions that can be undertaken are summarised as follows:
|
Phenomena linked to the development |
Vulnerabilities on the coastal zones |
Active types of actions |
Passive type of actions |
|
CO2 increase |
Increase of medium sea level
Meteo-marine event of major intensity |
(NOT CONSIDERED IN BEACHMED-e) |
Increase of coastal areas due to sand nourishment |
|
Diminished contribution of the rivers transport load |
coastal erosion
deepening of sea bottom
sea bottom denaturalisation along the coastline |
Total or partial restoration of natural load transportation |
Total or partial restoration of natural solid load transportation |
|
Braking down of natural defence structures |
sea bottom erosion
denaturalisation of sea bottom along the coastline |
Reconstruction of dune zones and of sea-grass prairies |
Protection measures for dune zones and sea-grass prairies |
|
Construction of coastal infrastructures |
Coastal erosion
Denaturalisation of the coastal sea bottom along the coastline |
Design with special attention to the erosive phenomenon artificially introduced |
Coastal protection by means of soft and protected nourishment
Re-use of intersected sandy material |
On the basis of this scheme, the BEACHMED-e operation has been structured according to three lines of action, called COMPONENTS, aiming at defining specific tools to fight induced vulnerabilities and making them available to public Administrations:
- Design and implement technical tools to characterise the erosion phenomenon at a European level and to use resources in a sustainable way
- Set up tools to manage the relation between urban-land development and morphologically fragile areas, related to ordinary and exceptional sea storms
- Set up ruling and organisational tools so that all parties involved (private and public) can define, regulate and manage coastal defence
For each of these components, we have identified specific MEASURES going deep into the subject, and we have defined the preliminarily goals the Administrations intend to reach in the framework of each of them . The list of MEASURES and associated objectives is available in the Objectives Report.
How the operation works 
The BEACHMED-e Operation has been conceived as a Regional Framework Operation (RFO) based on the criteria fixed by the INTERREG IIIC Program. The Administrations that have joined the Operation and that currently constitute the RFO (Regional Framework Operation) partnership, have to define and specify themes concerning this topic (MEASURES). Partnerships formed by Public subjects (Universities, local Institutes of research, Administrations, etc) will then lead the corresponding studies. In particular, once the RFO Administrations have defined the MEASURES and objectives they intend to pursue, a Public Call will be launched in order to select and identify specific proposals for achieving the prefixed objectives of each MEASURE. The proposals will be prepared by the partnerships constituted by Public Subjects having shown their interest to take part to the initiative (Call for the Manifestation of Interest), by proving their expertise in the subject matter. Once the Administrations constituting the RFO partnership (Steering Committee), have accepted the Public Entities' candidacy, the Public Entities are requested to constitute the appropriate partnerships (PARTICIPANTS) and to submit a SUBPROJECT proposal for the MEASURES. The SUBPROJECT proposals will be first examined and selected by the RFO Administrations, and then officially approved. The PARTICIPANT partnerships will be represented by a Participant partner leader and will operate under the coordination of MEASURE leaders indicated by the Administrations. During their various implementation phases, the SUBPROJECTS will be first approved from a technical point of view by COMPONENT COMMITTEES, and then finally approuved by the STEERING COMMITTEE, taking into account the financial aspects. For an outline of the entire operational organisation, please refer to the Organization Chart.