Are natural beaches facing extinction?

Pilkey, O.H. and Cooper, J.A.G. 2014. Are natural beaches facing extinction? In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa) Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 70 pp. 431–436. ISSN 0749-0208. On a generational scale, on developed shorelines, the world's recreational beaches are doomed. This is largely because of the widespread assumption that preservation of buildings is a higher priority than preservation of beaches in response to sea level rise. Continuing beach degradation will be inevitable through active or passive processes. Active degradation means the actual removal of the beach, mostly as a result of shoreline engineering or mining. By far, the most important cause of beach loss in this category will be hard structures, especially seawalls. The incorrectly but widely perceived panacea of each replenishment will become economically impossible because of raised sea levels. Replenishment leads to intensified bea...