ABSTRACT
Sandy beaches are a key ecosystem and provide several goods and services, having a central role in preserving biodiversity and the population’s quality of life. Human interference, through tourism and other activities, generates a huge impact on all dimensions of sustainability. This chapter is specifically related to main vulnerabilities of coastal and beach systems and their impacts in beach touristic and recreational activities. Climate change, and the resulting rise of sea level, increases the vulnerability of beaches, many of which are severely constrained by erosion. Coastal and beach tourism keeps expanding globally, mainly due to the attraction for ecosystemic services like the beauty of the scenery, as well as to natural resources supporting a more active tourism. Tourism poses the dilemma of dealing with growth on one side and the preservation of the ecosystem on the other. In order to balance the use of resources and their preservation, as well as beaches’ environmental quality it is extremely important to invest in tools for more sustainable tourism including spatial planning and certification. These inter-related tools can be used to influence and improve the development of sustainable tourism practices, minimizing negative impacts and providing better and more balanced recreational and touristic activities.
