Sand dune processes and management for flood and coastal defence. Part 4: Techniques for sand dune management

This detailed Defra and Environment Agency R&D Technical Report (FD1302/TR) from 2007 describes the processes affecting coastal sand dunes (including human activities), the role of sand dunes in coastal defence, and methods of ‘soft engineering’ sand dunes to control their flood defence performance and limit erosion. It also discusses trade-offs between these methods and the goal of maintaining diverse natural sand dune habitats and the species that depend on them. It discusses sand dune management in the context of five shoreline management options: do nothing, hold the line (static preservation), dynamic preservation, managed retreat and advance the line.

This is one of a series of outputs of a project called ‘Sand dune processes and management for flood and coastal defence’ (see https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/sand-dune-processes-and-management-for-flood-and-coastal-defence). See also the more recent report for Natural Resources Wales, also in this library, which supports dynamic management of dunes for both biodiversity and coastal defence.