Citation

Bicudo P, Horta A. J. Coast. Res. 2009; (SI 56): 1115-1119.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, The Coastal Education and Research Foundation)

DOI

10.2307/25737960

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

During the study for the viability of the implementation of an Artificial Surf Reef in São Pedro's beach, Estoril, Portugal, contracted by the Municipality of Cascais, we developed at Instituto Superior Técnico a novel orientation to the Environmental Evaluation of Coastal Projects. We present our novel approach, improving the Socio-Economic Factor and the Morphology and Coastal Dynamic Factor of Environmental Evaluation Studies of Coastal Projects. In the Socio-Economic Factor we address the impact of surfing in the, local and national, sports, tourism and industry. We show that surfing, a natural sport, has been growing at a nearly constant rate for the last three decades in Portugal, also as an economic activity, and it maintains the potential to continue its development in the next decades. We also show that the entire Portuguese West coast provides excellent conditions, in the European Continent, for the development of surfing. In the Morphology and Coastal Dynamic Factor, we address the parameters that quantify the quality of waves for surfing, and the parameters that quantify the rip currents. While rip currents affect surfing, they also affect sediment transport and the safety of bathers. We describe the parameters that coastal projects and environmental studies should evaluate, to maintain the quality of surfing, and also to assess the impact of coastal works on beach morphology and on bathers. The present orientation may be proposed to the "Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente" (Portuguese Environment Agency) in order to protect and develop Surfing in the Portuguese Coast.