Recent storms have caused “marked coastal erosion” in the Algarve, with significant losses of sediment, retreat of the coastline and falling cliffs, researcher Óscar Ferreira warned today, defending urgent interventions.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the specialist in coastal dynamics stated that the succession of episodes of bad weather “caused significant losses” of sand on several Algarve beaches and exposed the cliffs to the direct action of the sea, a phenomenon that resulted in mass movements and cliff falls at various points along the coast.
“The most relevant impacts were found in the stretch between Quarteira and Vale do Lobo, in the Forte Novo area, in the municipality of Loulé, where there were retreats in the coastline considered quite relevant, with very significant mass movements”, said the researcher from the Center for Marine and Environmental Research at the University of Algarve.
The specialist in areas of coastal dynamics, coastal risks and coastal management, considers “this to be an episodic situation, associated with a succession of storms”, but with “lasting impacts in sectors where the retreat is continuous and irreversible” without human intervention.
“The beaches will, for the most part, have the capacity for natural recovery and return of sediment over the next few months, but, obviously, in some stretches, such as Quarteira and Forte Novo, the retreat is continued and therefore the coast that retreated will not advance again, except artificially”, he argued.
As the main mitigation measure in sandy areas, the expert points to the replacement of sand on beaches “to adopt not only bathing capacity, but also to minimize the risk to people and property”.
On the rocky coast of the Algarve, between Olhos de Água (Albufeira) and Lagos, he considers it necessary to reinforce “monitoring and intervene where there is an imminent risk associated with the cliffs”.
“There, there will have to be extra care in areas close to the cliffs and, probably, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), which monitors [as arribas]will carry out interventions in places where it considers that there may be imminent risk”, he noted.
According to the expert, the replacement of sediments “has a lifespan, which always varies from place to place”, and at the end of that time a new intervention will always have to be carried out”.
Óscar Ferreira argued that the solutions involve a combination of strategies, including the artificial nourishment of beaches, the recovery of dune systems and a review of territorial planning in the most vulnerable areas.
“Isolated interventions have limited effectiveness without an integrated and continuous approach,” he warned.
The researcher also highlighted the importance of scientific research and permanent monitoring of the coast to support political and technical decisions, because, “without consistent and updated data, there is a risk of investing in ineffective or short-range measures”.
According to Óscar Ferreira, the challenge of coastal erosion requires cooperation between public entities, the scientific community and local populations, in a context in which climate change “tends to worsen the frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena associated with the sea”.
In the expert’s opinion, the problem “cannot be reversed” and results, for the most part, from entropic causes, hence the need to “reorganize the territory and relocate assets”.
“We should already have more plans for relocating and reorganizing territory, because in the medium and long term they end up being less costly than maintaining protective structures or artificial replenishment. We should be removing instead of occupying”, he argued.
Óscar Ferreira also highlighted that when placing sand, or another type of protection, in risk areas, managers, above all, “think that the places are protected and end up authorizing occupations in areas that are actually at risk”, he concluded.
Lusa
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