Boundaries of coastal area 1. Conceptions of coastal area

Does coastal area exist as a geographical or a mental concept? There is no unifi ed understanding of coastal area as a territory. To pinpoint the spatial usage of the concept of coastal area, the spatial boundaries of this conception must be defined. Coastal area is used in an everyday sense based on materials read, the economical activities carried out by, or the geographical understanding of an individual, which may be different from person to person. Often the concept is non-specifi c – it indicates the beach, dune area, a wider inland area – a result of “common simplifi cation” of the interpretation of legislation acts – or the sea shelf. A common interpretation produces a common action.

What is located on the other side of the coastal area, or – does the coastal area end with the coast? Boundaries of the conceptual understanding of

“coastal area” have to do with the border of sea and land. The shore between sea and land practically delimits two objects that are mutually interrelated and have a different “weight” that can change depending on the specifi c place of action.

Coastal area is more likely to signify a frontier region with the properties of a physical fi eld (impacts). A fi eld has no defi ned boundaries, its impact decreases gradually. For such territories, boundaries are defi ned relatively, according to certain criteria. The criteria, in turn, are dependent on goals to be achieved by defi ning such a territory (see concepts of boundaries in A. Pužulis, 2008). Another conception of a frontier region is related to the unstable positioning of the frontier itself. Day and night tides, coastal processes etc. determine coastline migration within certain boundaries, a phenomenon which may become significant when regulating land utilization in this area.

Conceptions of a coastal area are formed in various branches of science – geology, geography, ecology. Here we will focus mainly on conceptions defi ned in legislation acts, which signifi cantly infl uence the development processes of a territory.

Coastal protection zoning as an instrument for regulating territory utilization in the coastal area is not employed everywhere in Europe. In places where protection zones have been determined, the width of coastal areas differs in relation to the policy goals and various instruments of each country.

The land utilization database Landcover interprets coastal territory as an area 10 km inland from the coastline, which is divided further into a 1 km coastal strip, hinterland and inland – remaining state territory. Sea

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territory encompasses a 10 km zone, just as in Natura2000 coverage analysis.

Various synonyms are being used – coastal zone, coastal area, coast, coastal space and coastal systems (The changing …, 2006).

The HELCOM recommendation 15/1 defi nes the formation of protection zones outside of cities and settlements, taking into consideration the natural and scenic values in the coastal area, but at least 100-300 m from the average waterline both towards land and sea. Separate exceptions have been envisaged for approval in territorial plans. Starting from the waterline, at least 3 km of land have been defi ned as a coastal planning area. (Helcom …, 1994).

3.2. Coastal area boundary conceptions

Definition of coastal area boundaries has a significant role in further policymaking. Are the existing boundaries effi cient and serve the purpose they were initially designed for? In Latvia, there have as of yet been no attempts to answer this question. No particular research has been carried out in this fi eld. It can be evaluated indirectly, on the basis of e.g. social activities, press publications, breaches of legislative acts etc. The matter is complex and related to the spatial planning system in general as well as separate documents, the practice of application and supervision of construction legislation, the activities of law enforcement institutions, and property rights. In this case we will focus on coastal area boundaries as they have been investigated in laws and territorial plans.

The legal conception has so far generally focused on the land side of the coastline. In the Civil Law of Latvia, coastal area has been defi ned as a state-owned territory to the place reached by the highest waves (Civil Law …, 2000–2009). Considering that the highest point reached by waves is a fl uent variable, in the conception that concerns registering the coastal area of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga in the Land Register, the boundary of coastal area is defi ned as the border of the last estate next to the coastal area (Koncepcija …, 2008).

The Protection Zone Law of Latvia defi nes the protection zone of the Baltic Sea and Riga Gulf coastal area, the conception of which is not clear under the law. Law divides it into 2 areas – coastal dune area, the width of which changes from 150 m in cities and villages to 300 m outside populated areas. It must be noted that the values given are minimum values and may be extended to include biotopes and coastal dune areas. A zone of limited economic activity is defi ned conditionally up to a width of 5 km, the main condition being dry forests, upon the absence of which the area can be reduced (Fig. 1).

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The Baltic coastal area from boundaries to management. Latvian example

Figure 1. Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga Coastal Protection Zone – Zoning and Impacts Source: Author’s Picture based on Protection Zone Law.

Protection Zone Law in regard to the coastal zone is intended to decrease the impact of pollution on the Baltic Sea, to preserve the protective capacity of the forest, to prevent the development of erosion processes, to protect coastal sceneries, and to provide the conservation, protection, balanced and lasting exploitation of the coastal nature resources, resources necessary for recreation and tourism, and other socially important territories.

(Protection …, 1997) This means nature protection from the impact of human economic activity.

In the case of Latvia, state regulates coastal area development by means of Protection Zone Law and other specifi c laws. It is important to note that law provisions are generally linear. They form uninterrupted or fragmented linear structures along the seashore. In such a situation it is impossible to consider the uniqueness and individual characteristics of separate territories.

Laws are used together with territorial plans, which have a great impact in the territorial localization of these provisions. Presently there is no National plan for the coastal area; regional plans provide certain requirements in separate sectors of the coastal area, while their impact on local municipalities is insignifi cant (Telpiskās …, 2009). Local territorial planning refers to zoning of land utilization, which takes into consideration the many requirements of normative acts and policy guidelines, interpreting them spatially and forming a structure of linear segmented sectors (Fig. 2).

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Picture 2. Morphology of Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga Coastal Protection Zone Source: Author’s Picture based on Protection Zone Law.

4. Coastal area development – situation and its evaluation