ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the issue of coastal dune management in the context of climate change and rising sea levels. Dunes are nowadays primarily viewed as ecosystem service providers and managed as such. Protection is one of their most valued services, and recovering dunes to function as buffer areas is a current and welcome procedure. Biodiversity conservation is another valued service, and achieving this goal sometimes justifies the return to active dunes and the reversal of decades of marram planting. More than pointing out different management strategies and giving examples of what is being done, this chapter looks at what is less acknowledged: the pros and cons of such interventions. In doing so, it critically reflects on the problematic nature of managing such a complex hybrid system based on different, shifting, and often conflicting expectations and practices.
