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Throughout the Caribbean region, coastal areas are of vital importance for national incomes from the tourism industry. However, accelerated coastal development has impacted the coastal ecosystems, including the beaches, and deterioration of the shore results from cumulative impacts on both marine and coastal ecosystems. It is essential to identify the areas that need special attention for targeted management plans and actions, especially in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. This research proposes an integrated assessment of the conservation state of shore and coastal ecosystems in the Puerto Morelos National Reef Park (PNAPM) in the Mexican Caribbean, through the spatial monitoring of key parameters. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to analyze the land use on the shore, foredune condition, morphological characteristics of the beaches, shoreline evolution, and the condition of coral reefs and seagrass meadows. The analysis identified the most critical areas in relation to shore deterioration and priority areas for the preservation of ecosystems. The spatial data obtained for the PNAPM can serve as a basis for ongoing shore monitoring, and targeted management actions through the designation of areas that require either preservation or ecosystem restoration practices. This methodology can be applied to other reef systems in the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many coastal areas are affected by coastal squeeze, quantitative estimations of this phenomenon are still limited. Ambiguity concerning the degree of coastal squeeze, combined with a lack of knowledge on its interaction with human activities may lead to inadequate and unsuccessful management responses. The objective of the present research was to quantify the degree of coastal squeeze on the highly urbanized coast of Mazatlan, Mexico, and to investigate the relationship between the development of tourism and coastal squeeze from various time perspectives. The Drivers, Exchanges, States of the environment, Consequences, and Responses (DESCR) framework was applied to identify the chronic, negative consequences of dense tourism in the area, together with the assessment of coastal squeeze. A Tourism Load Capacity (TLC) estimation was made and correlated with the DESCR results, showing that coastal squeeze is inversely correlated with tourism load in Mazatlan. The medium-intensity coastal squeeze currently experienced in Mazatlan requires interventions to avoid severe degradation of the ecosystem on which the local tourism industry relies, for which immediate, long-term, and administrative recommendations are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Martínez, M.L.; Taramelli, A., and Silva, R., 2017. Resistance and resilience: Facing the multidimensional challenges in coastal areas. In: Martinez, M.L.; Taramelli, A., and Silva, R. (eds.), Coastal Resilience: Exploring the Many Challenges from Different Viewpoints. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 77, pp. 1-6. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Coastal ecosystems are subject to recurrent natural disturbances that act as drivers of ecosystem dynamics. In addition, in recent years, human impact has exerted intense pressures on these ecosystems, altering the dynamics and reducing resistance and resilience. The former refers to the ability of a system to hold a force without any modification, while the latter is a measure of its the capacity to respond to the consequences of perturbation and return to its original status. How can we achieve coastal management actions so that coastal resistance and resilience are enhanced? This volume integrates a broad set of studies that analyse coastal resistance and resilience from different viewpoints, that include contrasting viewpoints that cover the natural environment (abiotic and biotic); social governance and networks; social dynamics; built infrastructure and a combination of the four. Indeed, a proper diagnosis of the status of the coast is required and adequate coastal management is necessary, so that risks to the population and environmental problems are minimized. Coastal managers, ecologists, engineers, decision makers and society in general are jointly responsible for the future of our dynamic coasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1959 and 2010, a coastline retreat of 2.4 m/year and erosion of up to 174 m were recorded around Turbo, in northern Colombia. This degraded coastal system is the result of a poorly planned coastal defence scheme, combined with a lack of formal technical methodologies for diagnosis and monitoring. The coastal system cannot provide the protection services required by the local community. From 2017 to 2019, the group monitored urban beach profiles in a small area close to the town of Turbo, in the wet and the dry seasons, as part of a coastline analysis to identify morphodynamic trends in the area. The results show a net shoreline accretion of up to 30 m and positive sedimentary accumulation of up to 45.8 m3/m. To the north of the study area, sediment accumulation is evident at the Turbo River Delta. The 34 coastal protection structures in the study area have a high k index (~0.7), suggesting that they are the main drivers controlling the trend of sediment accumulation. The correlation of geomorphological, oceanographic, and anthropic variables related to the presence of coastal structures, is necessary in order to set up efficient coastal protection schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]