Flexible management, or how to ‘live with the sea’

The coastline is a living space, constantly shaped by the sea, the wind and coastal rivers. Naturally mobile, it has nevertheless been gradually frozen over the centuries by human developments: dykes, walls, groynes, breakwaters... These structures have redrawn our coastlines, often in opposition to natural dynamics. Today, faced with the expected rise in sea level – which could reach one metre by 2100 – it is imperative that we rethink our practices. An alternative exists: flexible coastal management. This approach proposes to accompany natural movements rather than constrain them. It offers sustainable, adaptable and economically viable solutions in the long term.
Rethinking our relationship with the coastline also means learning to coexist with marine forces, adapting rather than resisting.

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