11

Coastal and Inland Planning for Sustainable Tourism: Information Needs and Gaps

22

Coastal and Inland Coastal and Inland Planning???Planning??? The entire country of Barbados The entire country of Barbados

constitutes a coastal zoneconstitutes a coastal zone Observing requirements for inland Observing requirements for inland

development can be discussed in development can be discussed in the context of groundwater the context of groundwater zoning, flooding and watershed zoning, flooding and watershed management (CIMH)management (CIMH)

33

Sustainable Tourism??Sustainable Tourism??

Caribbean Tourism is coastal Caribbean Tourism is coastal Is it possible to achieve Is it possible to achieve

“sustainable coastal tourism?”“sustainable coastal tourism?” A review of countries with coastal A review of countries with coastal

tourism worldwide, but focused tourism worldwide, but focused on SIDS – bleak picture. WHY?on SIDS – bleak picture. WHY?

44

55

66

Challenges to Challenges to Caribbean Tourism as Caribbean Tourism as an Industryan Industry

Economic and financial crisisEconomic and financial crisis Food and energy crisisFood and energy crisis Negative climate change impactsNegative climate change impacts More intense and frequent natural More intense and frequent natural

disastersdisasters All coastal hazards affect tourismAll coastal hazards affect tourism

77

High South Coast Waves

88

Coastal and Inland Tourism Coastal and Inland Tourism Development Planning and Development Planning and Control – The GovernmentControl – The Government

Town Planning Act and NPDPTown Planning Act and NPDP

ICZM and MPC Act, CZM Policy, PlanICZM and MPC Act, CZM Policy, Plan– Specific land use areas for tourism Specific land use areas for tourism – Sensitive areas for visits by touristsSensitive areas for visits by tourists– Control of development pressures on Control of development pressures on

natural assets that support and protect natural assets that support and protect tourismtourism

– Control of self-destructive actions in Control of self-destructive actions in tourism developmenttourism development

99

Coastal Tourism Coastal Tourism Development Planning and Development Planning and Control – The DeveloperControl – The Developer

Location of tourism infrastructure Location of tourism infrastructure for maximum occupancy and for maximum occupancy and revenuerevenue

Health of nearby tourist assetsHealth of nearby tourist assets Safety and security of GuestsSafety and security of Guests

1010

Limited Interest Issues Limited Interest Issues - Developer- Developer

Location of infrastructure to prevent Location of infrastructure to prevent – High water level impacts from hazardsHigh water level impacts from hazards– Coastal erosionCoastal erosion

Protection of the natural lines of Protection of the natural lines of defensedefense– Control of dischargesControl of discharges– Carrying capacityCarrying capacity

1111

Natural Assets Valued Natural Assets Valued by Caribbean Tourism by Caribbean Tourism SectorSector

Beaches, beaches, beaches!!!Beaches, beaches, beaches!!! Clean nearshore swimming areasClean nearshore swimming areas Healthy barrier and fringing coral Healthy barrier and fringing coral

reefs for dive tourismreefs for dive tourism Mature trees and coastal Mature trees and coastal

vegetation separate from vegetation separate from sunbathing areas!!!sunbathing areas!!!

1212

SIDS Consultation SIDS Consultation Grenada on MSI Grenada on MSI ImplementationImplementation

““The limited capacities to The limited capacities to systematically collect, analyze systematically collect, analyze and apply data and indicators has and apply data and indicators has hampered informed decision-hampered informed decision-making, effective monitoring and making, effective monitoring and evaluation of the implementation evaluation of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy” of the Mauritius Strategy”

1313

A Case for ObservingA Case for ObservingNetworks for Caribbean Coastal Networks for Caribbean Coastal TourismTourism

High resolution bathymetry and coastal High resolution bathymetry and coastal topographytopography

Water levelsWater levels Wind and other weather parametersWind and other weather parameters Nearshore wave transformations -modelsNearshore wave transformations -models Beach profile observationsBeach profile observations Ecosystem observationsEcosystem observations Water quality and discharge Water quality and discharge

observationsobservations

1414

The Barbados Coastal Planning

System

1515

Barbados Coastal Barbados Coastal Planning SystemPlanning System

Definition of the coastal zone Definition of the coastal zone management area and sub-areasmanagement area and sub-areas

Coastal Zone Management Plan and Coastal Zone Management Plan and Policy and ProgrammePolicy and Programme

Protection of the five natural lines of Protection of the five natural lines of defensedefense

Well-designed shoreline stabilization Well-designed shoreline stabilization programmes where policies fail or programmes where policies fail or changes in ocean systems are faster changes in ocean systems are faster than policythan policy

1616

Coastal Zone Management Area

Coastal Zone Management Area

1717

Data requirements for Data requirements for CZMACZMA

Currents, sediment transport Currents, sediment transport modelsmodels

LIDAR BathymetryLIDAR Bathymetry Digital elevation models for the Digital elevation models for the

first five meters above the zero first five meters above the zero elevationelevation

1818

1919

Coastal Zone Coastal Zone Management PlanManagement Plan

Barbados Policy FrameworkBarbados Policy Framework Management Plan for theManagement Plan for the

– Caribbean CoastCaribbean Coast– Atlantic CoastAtlantic Coast

2020

Sub-Areas or CellsSub-Areas or Cells

Description of the coastDescription of the coast Current status of economic sectorsCurrent status of economic sectors Management requirements for the Management requirements for the

area (setbacks, protected areas, area (setbacks, protected areas, water quality etc)water quality etc)

Roles of different agenciesRoles of different agencies Community participationCommunity participation

2121

How does the Planning How does the Planning Process work?Process work?

Town and Country Planning application Town and Country Planning application to CZMU to CZMU – Consult the PlanConsult the Plan– Conduct site assessmentConduct site assessment– Internal Roundtable (Engineering, Internal Roundtable (Engineering,

Planning, Marine Research, Hazards)Planning, Marine Research, Hazards)– Final CZMU recommendationFinal CZMU recommendation

Final approval of all coastal Final approval of all coastal development lies with the Ministerdevelopment lies with the Minister

2222

Coastal PlanningCoastal Planning

Check the storm surge inundation linesCheck the storm surge inundation lines Enforcement of setbacksEnforcement of setbacks Windows to the seaWindows to the sea Beach access (lateral and perpendicular)Beach access (lateral and perpendicular) Control of dischargesControl of discharges Protection of vegetation and other buffersProtection of vegetation and other buffers Protection of vulnerable sites Protection of vulnerable sites

2323

Observations for Observations for PlanningPlanning Coastal Engineering observations Coastal Engineering observations

– tides, currents, waves, marine – tides, currents, waves, marine weather and climate, erosion weather and climate, erosion rates, sediment transport, stormrates, sediment transport, storm

Hazard observationsHazard observations Marine Research Observations – Marine Research Observations –

water quality, coral diseases and water quality, coral diseases and bleaching, bleaching,

2424

2525

Natural Buffers to High Water Level and Subsequent Inundation

2626

Coastal Hazards

• Marine and coastal ecosystems act as natural buffers

• Loss of natural buffers turns natural events into human disasters

• “At least 70-90% of the energy from wind generated waves is absorbed depending on how healthy these ecosystems are and their physical and ecological characteristics” (UNESCO State of the World’s Oceans Report)

2727

Natural BuffersNatural Buffers

MangrovesMangroves Beaches and DunesBeaches and Dunes Sea grasses and coral rubbleSea grasses and coral rubble Fringing reefsFringing reefs Bank reefsBank reefs

2828

NATURAL BUFFERS

2929

3030

Crane Beach Before

3131

Crane Beach North

3232

The MessageThe Message

The wider the beach, the greater is The wider the beach, the greater is the protection from inundation of the protection from inundation of important infrastructure and important infrastructure and

Wide beaches can lose some of their Wide beaches can lose some of their width and still function to reduce the width and still function to reduce the energy associated with high waves, energy associated with high waves, because of slope and frictionbecause of slope and friction

WHY DO TOURISM DEVELOPERS WHY DO TOURISM DEVELOPERS WANT TO BUILD ON THE BEACH?????WANT TO BUILD ON THE BEACH?????

3333

What questions should What questions should developers be asking?developers be asking?

Where are the sediment sources that Where are the sediment sources that feedfeed

our beaches; how protected?our beaches; how protected? What are the processes that widen or What are the processes that widen or

narrow a beach?narrow a beach? What human activities narrow or widen What human activities narrow or widen

aa

beach in my country?beach in my country?

3434

Allow waves to Allow waves to dissipate 70-90% of dissipate 70-90% of their destructive their destructive energy offshoreenergy offshore

Area covered by:Area covered by:– Bank reefs – 15.9 Bank reefs – 15.9

kmkm– Fringing reefs – Fringing reefs –

1.53 km1.53 km

Approx. 80% fringing Approx. 80% fringing reefs lostreefs lost

Bank reefs decreased Bank reefs decreased from 37.3% - 23.2% from 37.3% - 23.2% over a decadeover a decade

CORAL REEFS - NATURAL BR EAKWATERS

3535

Mangroves - Natural Shock AbsorbersMangroves - Natural Shock Absorbers

BuffersBuffers

Limit floodwater Limit floodwater inundationinundation

Mangroves covered Mangroves covered almost our entire almost our entire coastlinecoastline

Destroyed approx. 95%Destroyed approx. 95%

Primarily via coastal Primarily via coastal constructionconstruction

Replaced by

3636

RUBBLE, SEA RUBBLE, SEA GRASSGRASS

Not much help in Not much help in a major disaster…a major disaster…

BUT BUT

can offer some can offer some protection against protection against wave actionwave action

3737

When Policies Fail or Ocean When Policies Fail or Ocean Changes outstrip Policies?Changes outstrip Policies?

Emergency or long-term works to Emergency or long-term works to reduce wave energyreduce wave energy

Properly designed and modeled Properly designed and modeled coastal engineeringcoastal engineering

Make the solution as soft and Make the solution as soft and unobtrusive as possibleunobtrusive as possible

3838

Coastal Engineering

3939

Criteria for ExecutionCriteria for Execution

Planning and legislative controls Planning and legislative controls have failedhave failed

The services offered by natural The services offered by natural buffers are limited buffers are limited

Natural resilience of the beach is Natural resilience of the beach is compromisedcompromised

Significant economic installations Significant economic installations are vulnerableare vulnerable

4040

Coastal EngineeringCoastal Engineering

Numerical modeling to predict theNumerical modeling to predict the behavior of the coast under varyingbehavior of the coast under varying oceanographic conditionsoceanographic conditions Physical modeling of complex coastalPhysical modeling of complex coastal solutionssolutions Building of structures within the coastalBuilding of structures within the coastal zone of Barbados to stabilize thezone of Barbados to stabilize the shoreline, control erosion, and protectshoreline, control erosion, and protect infrastructureinfrastructure

4141

Barbados Project - Nearshore Wave Modelling

• 143 simulations were carried out using M21 NSW• A Two-Stage Modelling Process

– Coarse Grids (ΔX=20m ΔY=100m)– Nested Grids (ΔX=4m ΔY=20m)

Plan View of Barbados

4242

A C

B

Select Preferred ConceptSelect Preferred Concept

Design ProcessDesign Process

Select “Preferred” Concepts & Focus Final Design Select “Preferred” Concepts & Focus Final Design Efforts on Preferred ConceptsEfforts on Preferred Concepts

Final DesignFinal Design

4343

Model Construction

4444

Beach / PrototypeBeach / Prototype

4545

4646

4747

Running the Physical Running the Physical ModelModel

4848

Rockley

4949

Welches

5050

Final Design Efforts

Physical Modeling

Construction

5151

Hazard Data And Hazard Data And ModellingModelling Barbados is just incorporating Barbados is just incorporating

specific hazard dataspecific hazard data Modelling for storm surge and Modelling for storm surge and

tsunamis is slow but ongoingtsunamis is slow but ongoing Capacity development is a Capacity development is a

complementary requirement, with complementary requirement, with observing systems, for the observing systems, for the CaribbeanCaribbean

5252

Reminder of the Data, Reminder of the Data, Information Information High resolution bathymetry and coastal High resolution bathymetry and coastal

topographytopography Water levelsWater levels Meteorological parametersMeteorological parameters Nearshore wave transformations -modelsNearshore wave transformations -models Beach profile observationsBeach profile observations Ecosystem observationsEcosystem observations Water quality, discharge observationsWater quality, discharge observations

5353

Regional Needs and Regional Needs and GapsGaps Integration of all datasets for Integration of all datasets for

decision-making is limiteddecision-making is limited No single data management system No single data management system

or repository (standard setting, QMS, or repository (standard setting, QMS, archival, accessibility etc)archival, accessibility etc)

Data presented for the Barbados Data presented for the Barbados program is collected mostly in a program is collected mostly in a project context for other Caribbean project context for other Caribbean SIDSSIDS

5454

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!Dr Lorna InnissDr Lorna Inniss

Deputy Director, CZMU, BarbadosDeputy Director, CZMU, Barbados

CHAIR – ICG CARIBE EWSCHAIR – ICG CARIBE EWS

Co-CHAIR – Barbados Standing Co-CHAIR – Barbados Standing Committee on Coastal HazardsCommittee on Coastal Hazards

Tel: 246-228-5950Tel: 246-228-5950linniss@coastal.gov.bblinniss@coastal.gov.bb