Coastal Defences: Managed Retreat
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.2.17
Managed Retreat
Managed retreat involves accepting defeat. Instead of trying to stop the sea advancing, coastal defences are removed, and land is flooded. This land will likely become mangrove swamps or marshland. However, this will protect the land behind it.
What are the advantages of managed retreat?
- Managed retreat protects the land behind the mangroves or swamps.
- Managed retreat costs no money & no maintenance is needed.
- Swamps and mangroves are often biodiverse.
What are the disadvantages of managed retreat?
- Land is lost to the sea.
- Some people may lose their land or livelihoods if farmland is allowed to be flooded.
- Someone's house could be lost if they lived in the area that would become marshland.
Test yourself on Coastal Defences: Managed Retreat
What do we call it when coastal defences are removed and the sea is allowed to flood the coastline?
In managed retreat, what do the flooded sections of coastline eventually turn into?