Regione Lazio Direzione Regionale Ambiente CM-GIZC Viale Del Tintoretto, 432 00142 Roma www.cmgizc.info revision february 2012 project part-financed by European Union Eu project COASTANCE REPORT PHASE B1 COMPONENT 5 Analysis of environmental features characterising protected coastal areas PARTNERSHIP Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace (GR) - Lead Partner Regione Lazio (IT) Region of Crete (GR) Département de l’Hérault (FR) Regione Emlia-Romagna (IT) Junta de Andalucia (SP) Ministry of Communications & Works of Cyprus (CY) Dubrovnic Neretva County Regional Development Agency (HR) INDEX Introduction on COASTANCE project and aims ............................................................................. 2 Introduction on Component 5 ..................................................................................................... 5 Objectives of the study ................................................................................................................. 7 1. Framework and methodology ......................................................................................... 9 1.1 Reference Framework ..................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Methodology and activities carried out ................................................................. 10 2. Coastal defence works ................................................................................................................. 11 2.1 Seawalls ............................................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Artificial reefs (offshore) .................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Nearshore breakwaters (submerged) ................................................................................ 13 2.4 Groins (impermeable) ....................................................................................................... 14 2.5 Groins (composite) ..................................................................................................... 15 2.6 Groins (permeable) ..................................................................................................... 16 2.7 Beach nourishment ..................................................................................................... 17 2.8 Beach drainage ................................................................................................................. 18 2.9 Windbreak fences ..................................................................................................... 18 2.10 Dune grass planting ..................................................................................................... 19 2.11 Dune reprofiling ................................................................................................................. 21 2.12 Access management .......................................................................................................... 22 2.13 Artificial headlands ............................................................................................................ 22 2.14 Adaptive management (strategic retreat).......................................................................... 23 3. Environmental effects induced by coastal defense works .............................................................. 24 3.1 Hard structures .................................................................................................................. 24 3.2 Beach nourishment ............................................................................................................ 26 3.3 Drainage systems ............................................................................................................... 29 3.4 Coastal dunes management operations ............................................................................ 29 4. International policies and legislation ............................................................................................... 32 4.1 International policies and legislation ................................................................................. 32 4.2 Natura 2000 network ........................................................................................................ 36 4.3 Red lists ............................................................................................................................ 38 4.4 Synthesis of the policies and legislation taken into account ............................................. 39 5. Protected habitat classification.......................................................................................................... 40 5.1 Classification criteria ......................................................................................................... 40 5.2 Physiographic macro-categories ........................................................................................ 43 5.2.1 Marine habitats .................................................................................................. 45 5.2.2 Wetlands and halophytic habitats ...................................................................... 46 5.2.3 Dune habitats ..................................................................................................... 48 5.2.4 Cliff habitats ........................................................................................................ 50 6. Protected, sensitive and/or endangered species classification ......................................................... 52 6.1 Protected, sensitive and/or endangered flora species ...................................................... 52 6.2 Protected, sensitive and/or endangered fauna species...................................................... 56 7. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 59 published by Regione Lazio Edited by: Silvia Bellacicco (Regione Lazio - Consultant) Optimisation, layout and graphic: Manuela Di Cosimo (Regione Lazio - Consultant) Producted by: ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) Scientific responsible: Luisa Nicoletti ISPRA Authors: Daniela Paganelli, Elena Pallottini, Paola La Valle, Stefania Ercole, Loretta Lattanzi External collaborators: Corrado Teofili (WWF) COASTANCE Component 5 - Phase B1 report Introduction on COASTANCE project and aims Coastal erosion and flooding represent a major threat for the well- being and prosperity of the 70mi Europeans living within 500m from the coastline and their assets of 500-1000 bi€. The loss of se- riously impacted areas due to erosion is estimated to be 15 km2/ year. The UN-IPCC estimates that by 2020, due to Climate Change, 50% of Europe’s coastal wetlands will disappear as a result of sea level rise, at a cost of 5,400 mi€/year. According to the EC EURO- SION project, the regulatory EIA framework, the knowledge-based and traditional measures to control the erosion control have been weak or inappropriate. COASTANCE (Regional action strategies for coastal zone adapta- tion to climate change) proposes innovative techniques for mid- long term coastal protection Master Plans capitalizing on the Good Practices developed under several European projects (INTERREG IIIB & INTERREG IIIC-RFO). It focuses on those practices that resulted from scientific studies and the understanding of coastal erosion phenomena obtained in previous experiences. The concrete results – Realistic Submersion Risk Forecast Systems, Specific EIA/SEA Procedures and concrete coastal protection Master Plans will be proposed as Governance and Public Policy Tools for erosion control by regional, national and EU Administrations. COASTANCE focuses on the entire Mediterranean basin. The part- ners have jurisdiction on 3700 km of coast of which 1600 km are beaches representing 5 out of 7 EU MED member States that cover 95% of EU MED coastline and all characteristic coastal typologies of the Mediterranean: • Low-land areas around big river mouths with long beaches (East Macedonia-Thrace, Languedoc-Roussillon, Hérault, Emi- lia-Romagna) • Mixed rocky and sandy coastlines (Crete, Lazio, Andalusia, Cyprus) By achieving such a complete geographic coverage, the COASTAN- CE partners have the entire set of characteristics related to erosion phenomena in the Mediterranean and thus their work will lead to the development of coherent, plausible and applicable results. The increasing erosion phenomena and marine flooding risks ari- sing on the mid-long term related to the climate change effects 2 COASTANCE Component 5 - Phase B1 report (sea level rising, extreme storm events, increasing frequency and intensity etc.) pushes Public Administrations towards a strategic approach for the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) with a particular emphasis on coastal protection. The loss of rivers solid transport (due to hydraulic works, bridles, crossbars, dams, on rivers), the presence of hard protection works and harbours along the coasts (that intercept the natural distribu- tion of sediments) and the climate changes effects, increased the vulnerability of coastal stretches, today affected by widespread erosion processes and marine flooding hazards. In this framework, it is evident the need of a strategic and sustainable management of coastal sediments, paying attention to the new environmental aspects involved in the related activities.