Coastal management
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Forty percent of the global population lives within 100 kilometers of the sea. Also, ports, for instance, provide important access to global trade, giving trade-dependent industries an advantage when they expand in the vicinity of the coast. The proximity of coastal areas to the sea is at the same time what makes them vulnerable. Models predict a continuing and accelerating sea level rise, as well as an intensification of storm events due to climate change. In order to continue and expand our activities in coastal areas in a sustainable manner, coastal protection is essential and may need to evolve from hard engineering to more sustainable, nature-based alternatives. Analoguosly, establishing activities in offshore areas is technically even more challenging than in nearshore, coastal areas, not in the least because of ocean conditions. As a result, due to current engineering limitations, several activities that could take place offshore, such as aquaculture, are still mostly limited to coastal areas. Although coastal areas are clearly valuable, they are also at risk. Waterways that flow to the sea carry an array of pollutants, from litter to organic matter to agricultural run-off. Consequently, environmental pressure resulting from in-land activities is transported to coastal zones. BLUEGent offers a wide range of expertise related to coastal management. We provide knowledge on topics such as:
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