ABSTRACT
The main beach roles described in the literature are protection, aesthetics, landscape, recreation, leisure and tourism. Beaches can be defined as a space between the surf zone and foredune or man-made structures (e.g. pedestrian walks), made of components and complexes of different amplitudes, formed by the influence of natural processes (e.g. morphodynamic), as well as by human intervention (e.g. grading, using protection structures) and recreational activities (e.g. sport, driving, bathing) that permanently interact in a feedback process.
