INTERREG IIIc: Project BEACHMED-e "Strategic management of beach protection measures for the sustainable development of coastal areas"

Coordinator website: http://www.beachmed.it

The Project BEACHMED-e evolved from the BEACHMED Project ("Environmental reconstruction and maintenance of beaches under erosion by using sand marine carriers", INTERREG IIIb-MEDOCC, 2002-2004), which studied suitable methods to:
1.estimate wide scale coastal erosion on the European coastlines;
2.evaluate environmental aspects of dredging and nourishment;
3.evaluate geological and sedimentation aspects of dredging and nourishment;
4.evaluate technological aspects of dredging and nourishment.

Based on the results of the BEACHMED Project, BEACHMED-e involves new actions at a Mediterranean level, focusing on the following three Components:
1. characterisation of coastal erosion at a regional and local scale and for sustainable use of resources;
2. management of the relation between urban-land development and morphologically fragile areas, related to ordinary and exceptional sea storms;
3. set-up of organisational guidelines and norms to define, normalise and manage coastal defence by all parties involved (private and public).

The BEACHMED-e Project was approved on April 2005 by the Program Committee, and it is scheduled for completion on June 2008, covering a 36 months time period. BEACHMED-e is a Regional Framework Operation (RFO) between Regione Lazio (IT), partners' leader, and Regione Emilia Romagna (IT), Regione Toscana (IT), Regione Liguria (IT), Conseil Général de l'Héraeult (FR), Service Maritime et Navigation du Languedoc-Roussillon (FR), Generalitat Catalunya (ES), and two Greek regions: Region of East Macedonia-Thrace, and Region of Crete. The Project has a total budget of 7,668,366.50 Euro, the 54% of which is covered by FEDER, with the rest funds covered by the partners.

Our Laboratory is involved in the Project's Component entitled "Project plan and implementation of technical tools required for the characterization of the erosive phenomenon on a Mediterranean scale and for sustainable development of resources". Within this Component, the Laboratory participates two sub-projects of BEACHMED-e: Project ReSaMMe ("Search for submarine sand in the Mediterranean Sea" and Project EuDREP ("European Environmental Protocol for Dredging and Beach Nourishment").