ABSTRACT
There exist many different beach rating systems and the main characteristics of several of these are discussed below. Detail is provided for a new approach, the BARE system, which is considered to benefit from having a very strong management-oriented bias, making it a particularly applicable system (see Chapter 9). This takes into account not only physical and water quality parameters but has a multifaceted approach relating to anthropocentric parameters, based on what a bathing area user desires. This point is frequently glossed over by planners and managers, who impose a top-down approach, i.e. the ‘experts know best’, rather than bottom-up approach. To date there is no universally applied award, and even the front runner – the Blue Flag – changes its criteria depending in which part of the world it is operating.
