Impacts

Tourism
Tourism is actually one of the most rapidly growing economic sectors, and coastal zones, especially in the Mediterranean, are particularly interested by new investments or already base important parts of their local economy on this sector. Although considered a "clean" industry during the the first decades of the post-war period, the developments are now raising major concern in terms of sustainability: short-term and long term economic interests have to be meet with the constraints of the necessities of conservation of a particularly delicate environment.
Major pressures originating from the tourism sector on coastal areas regard:

• transformation of landscapes due to linear urbanization along the beaches, tourism amenities like ports,
• increasing population density and urbanization with high numbers of presences in short periods of the year, with negative consequences for water resources caused by demand for freshwater, land pollution caused by waste disposal, and marine pollution caused by inadequate wastewater treatment;
• biodiversity degradation and loss of habitats;
• loss of local traditions and gradual impoverishment of social structures,
• abandonment of traditional economic activities.

Indicators for tourist uses of coastal zone may on the one hand be connected to an indicator as presences of non residents and seasonal changes of presences, and are, on the other hand, closely connected to indicators of sustainable development of the coastal zones, related to pressures as land-use changes and urbanization, coastal erosion, nutrients in marine waters, quality of freshwater, bathing water quality, state of coastal habitats and species, as well as economic indicators connected to economic diversification and degree of social cohesion.

Urbanization
Land take by infrastructures, housing, services and recreation are typical drivers of urban development and represent one of the main pressures to coastal zones. While in some countries urban development is concentrated around large cities with harbours (industrial and service areas) in others it is more disperse urban sprawl mainly for housing and tourism reasons. These kinds of land uptake are mostly at the expense of agricultural or semi-natural strips of coastal land and are responsible, beside other effects, for the majority of soil sealing. In European coastal zones highly developed areas exist besides areas with a low and declining population density where the lack of infrastructures and economic opportunities are drivers for emigration and endanger the social structure of local communities and their cultural heritage.

Industries
Industries are the source of important impacts on practically all European coastal zones: industrial wastewater, atmospheric pollution, disposal of harmful substances from coastal sites, often located next to harbours, but also from upstream sites, are  responsible of a relevant part of pollution loads in coastal areas, further on industrial land take is an important driver of transformation of coastal zones. On the other hand, industrial development can have positive impacts on social and economic conditions in coastal zones.

Maritime transport
European maritime areas major streets for transport. The coastal zones are interested by this phenomena in the harbour zones and along the “maritime highways” across the oceans. Pollution stemming from maritime transport is due to accidents, as for instance oil spills from ships in distress, and from routine discharges of ballast water, tank washing and engine room effluents, putting these activities in contrast with the interest of conservation of coastal habitats and those of those uses which benefit from a good state of natural resources, as tourism.

Fisheries and aquaculture
Fishery activities represent one of the most important traditional activities in coastal zones. Whereas traditional forms of fishing are generally in decline in the European community,  the more intensive form of marine fishery is actually undergoing a structural crisis.
The alternative activities of aquaculture have now passed from experimental small-scale structures to industrial scale operations, with sensible impacts on coastal waters for instance in terms of nutrient loads.
The transformation of the fishery sector is a problem not only from the ecologic and economic point of view, as local economic and social structures are transformed and marine ecosystems altered by overexploitation of fish stocks, but implies the impoverishment of an important social knowledge base on coastal zones and habitats, held by traditional fishermen.

Sustainable energy generation
An arising conflict between coastal zone uses stems from renewable energy generation by wind parks, considering the impacts during construction and operation phase of these facilities, as well as how these facilities will integrated with shipping and navigation, fisheries etc.

Thematic Network Conference
12th – 13th  March  2007. Venice, Italy

The Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and the Consortium for Coordination of Research Activities Concerning the Venice Lagoon System (CORILA), are organizing a conference on socio economic impacts on coastal zones and their evaluation in a context of integrated coastal zone management.
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