Abstract:
The importance of beaches to the tourism industry and the need to protect such resources is
not only vital to the economy of nations but for many localities and regions. Coastal erosion is the major
reason of disappearance of beaches. As a result, it requires application of a series of engineering
techniques. Therefore, hard and soft engineering solutions are used for the shore protection and
utilization through recreational purposes. The Guadiana shore protection jetty Protugal and Spain border
represents a good example of such a problem. After the jetty was constructed, the west of the river
mouth, experienced a continuous trend of accretion, while the down drift sectors were subjected to severe
erosion. This jetty is a source of environmental problems and creates long term economic impacts in
positive and negative ways to the surrounding coast-line. The present study showed that, the Portuguese
side has gained more economic and social benefits, and conversely, the Spanish side has lost their
economic income and land due to the jetty construction.
