Impact of legal framework and scientific research in reservoir lake sediment management on coastal erosion and shoreline management in Spain's South Mediterranean Basins

Abstract

Feeding mechanisms for the nearshore, beach and dune systems are significantly linked to fluvial input in the Mediterranean. The erosion of the coast is currently a serious envi- ronmental and economic challenge to which the Administration has not only not found an opti- mal solution beyond costly direct beach fill measures. To investigate what and how management is addressing this issue, the new hydrological planning framework has been analysed. Likewise, an assessment of recent high-impact scientific publications has been modelled. The results ob- tained reveal that, although a concern is expressed in both Management and Research forums, a marked neglect of implementation measures exist, which suggests that an interesting debate on the viability of this alternative in the medium and long term deserves further attention. After evaluating the level of attention of the Administration and the specialized scientific literature to other alternatives, the reutilization of terrigenous sediments accumulated in the reservoirs are discussed as a sustainable solution for chronic erosion beach systems such as the Ensenada de Marbella, used in this article as a study case of a complex scenario where socio-economic pressu- res are constantly overloading its natural resilience.