Disappearing coastal dunes: tourism development and future challenges, a case-study from Ravenna, Italy

The importance of tourism and the evident impacts from coastal overdevelopment are two realities that coastal managers have to face. Coastal tourism in the Ravenna province started in the end of 19th century and has grown immensely over the last 60 years, stimulated by a combination of rapid urban built-up and increasing in beach holiday attraction. This paper presents preliminary results on evolution of coastal dunes focusing on tourism development and impacts arising from it. Determination of spatial and temporal dunes settings was performed within a GIS environment. A multitemporal investigation provided a description of coastal dunes transformation with emphasis on historical aspects of landscape changes. Marina di Ravenna was selected as a remarkably representative example illustrating the highest level of tourism development pressure on the coastal dunes. The study shows that extensive stretches of coastal dunes have been removed, mainly due to intensive construction of beach establishments. Total loss of coastal dunes in Marina di Ravenna was estimated about 18 ha over almost 60 years, an equivalent to 28 football pitches. The results reveal that the relation between tourism development and coastal dune evolution in Ravenna coastal area is evident, and requires more detailed investigation at different scales, combining other coastal factors to the analysis.