Conférence Méditerranéenne Côtière et Maritime EDITION 3. Video based assessment of coastal erosion impact on beach attendance. Application to coastal management of Valras beach, France

Shoreline stability is an important issue along much of the Mediterranean’s Coasts where beach tourism represents one of the main economic resources. Hence, the evaluation of beach attendance is an important parameter to support coastal management planning in order to maintain the recreational capacity despite of coastal hazards increase. In the framework of the European project MEDDOOC INTERREG BEACHMED-e, a video system has been installed in 2008 to monitor the coastal environment of Valras (Gulf of Lion, France). This study presents a video based approach to assess the impact of coastal erosion on beach attendance. Mid-term beach retreat trend have been crossed with beach user quantification over a 7 years period. Results highlight beach attendance specificities of a coastline protected by breakwaters and show that recreational capacity could be significantly affected in the next decade.