Shoreline erosion due to anthropogenic pressure in Calabria (Italy)

Abstract

In the second half of the twentieth century, after the Second World War, a considerable migration from inland to coastal areas was observed in many territories, especially in the Mediterranean. This process has caused the expansion of existing coastal settlements and the construction of numerous new towns, often substituting beaches and dune systems. All this has often altered the equilibrium conditions of several coastal ecosystems thereby triggering shoreline erosion processes. This issue is particularly important in territories such as Calabria, a region of southern Italy subject to considerable anthropogenic pressures and characterized by over 750 km of coast. The paper analyses the correlations between shoreline erosion and anthropogenic pressure in Calabria. For this purpose, historical and current cartographic Open Data, such as shapefiles, cartography, and satellite imagery, were analysed using QGIS. The analysis showed a strong correlation between the anthropogenic pressures, in terms of the expansion of the inhabited centres and, therefore, of the man-made areas near the shoreline, and the triggering of shoreline erosion processes. Finally, this analysis is of interest in the field of coastal area planning and management, and it is easily applicable and replicable as it is based on Open Data and free software.

Keywords

• Shoreline erosion
• anthropogenic pressure
• inhabited centres expansion
• man-made areas increase
• shoreline changes
• remote sensing