Introduction

There is a vast literature on issues in coastal management, and overviews and critiques are available (Born and Miller 1987; National Research Council 1990; Griggs et al. 1991b; Godschalk 1992; Jackson and O'Donnell 1993; Beatley et al. 1994; Knecht et al. 1997; Sorensen 1997; Kay and Alder 1999). This chapter concentrates on program components that have applicability to maintenance of beaches and dunes. Other management issues that may be more pressing (e.g., pollution) are avoided unless they affect landforms. Legislative and administrative frameworks are restricted to a few recent programs and policies of national governments and selected state/provincial and local governments. Opportunities and constraints are discussed, revealing the difficulties of maintaining beach resources in a way that preserves elements of the natural system. Future actions that can be taken to maintain or enhance these resources while accommodating the need to protect private developments are presented in chapter 8.

National programs and incentives

Coastal management policy is usually a tiered structure of national, state/provincial and local programs. In the USA, for example, national policy establishes broad mandates for state-controlled coastal programs and sets restrictions on investment of national funds in the coastal zone. States use permitting procedures and site reviews of large-scale developments, and local jurisdictions employ land use controls and health ordinances to control small-scale development.

The objectives of many government programs are similar and are summarized in Table 7.1. Programs may differ in terms of level of government that plays the primary role, comprehensiveness, amount of funding and degree that policies are legally binding or enforceable.