Sistemas litorais: dinânicas e ordenamento

Abstract

This article presents, in written form, the lecture given by the author in 2006 as a prerequisite for becoming a Full Professor in the Department of Geography. It addresses a variety of issues that cut across the entire course for which a Syllabus was presented, while seeking to highlight the main aspects that reflect the fundamental orientation of that course. Four main topics are thus considered: the first, entitled The coastal areas: mobility versus fixedness, discusses the main concepts from a variety of perspectives; the second – The beach system: dynamics and monitoring – focuses on the beach system and its morphodynamics; the third, entitled Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the European context, provides an overview of the status of coastal areas in Europe and the policy options adopted in this respect; while the fourth – ICMZ in Portugal – summarises the main policy options made in this country in this field, based on the results of the work undertaken by a team led by Prof. Veloso Gomes (of which the author was a member), which was the object of subsequent publication.