Causes and Responses to Romania’s Coastal Erosion Issues

Romania’s Black Sea shoreline is some 240km long and is an important national asset, attracting large numbers of holidaymakers and with its hinterland being home to a significant percentage of the country’s population. Large scale coastal interventions in the past have created a legacy of issues that require tackling along the coast. There are substantial pressures on both the natural and built environment created by urbanisation, eroding beaches, coastal defences which are time expired and the prospect of rising sea levels. This paper looks at some of these issues and how the country has been responding to them, focusing mainly on the coastal defences.