RESPONSE Project Homepage

RESPONSE is a 3-year project (2003-2006) led by the Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment, UK, supported by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union

Case Studies: Regione Marche Coast, Italy

Key natural hazards and issues in this study area: Coastal erosion from storm waves is a significant issue for economic stability, due to its impact on tourism and major infrastructure. Over the course of the last century a sediment transport deficit from rivers has led to a crisis in the coastal system, starved of naturally supplied material derived from the drainage basins - a typical feature of the regional “comb” system.

Rockfall risk on Tourist Beaches, Monte Conero, Regione Marche, Italy

Location: The Marche Region is on the east coast of Central Italy, on the Adriatic.

Mapping and investigation by: I.R.P.I. – C.N.R. Perugia, Italy: Maceo-Giovanni Angeli (Research Manager), Franco Marabini (Researcher), Riccardo Menotti (Researcher), Fabrizio Pontoni (Geoequipe - Consultant), Paolo Gasparetto (IQT - Consultant)
Marche Region – Regional Basin Authority: Mario Smargiasso (Director), Luigi Diotallevi (Manager)

Key messages:
The investigation has highlighted that a high level of territorial imbalance or territorial disequilibrium exists all along the coastline of Marche Region that will worsen as climate change progresses;

The Marche Region is putting economic planning into practice and great importance has been given to techniques of beach nourishment, to reconstruct the natural form of the beach “structures” that reduce wave energy;

When considering the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, strategies developed for the coast and catchment basins (regarding transportation of solid material) are a fundamental and historic step forward from a period of large-scale exploitation of the available resources to ensuring compromise between economic needs and physical balance.

Coastal Evolution and Risk Maps

Map 1: Coastal landforms and coastal processes (1.20MB)
Map 2: Coastal defence management types and practices (4.28MB)
Map 3: Current and historic coastal natural hazards (1.23MB)
Map 4: Coastal assets and population (1.30MB)
Map 5: Coastal behaviour systems (1.41MB)
Map 6: Coastal hazards (992KB)
Map 7: Coastal risks (640KB)