Protection of Coastal Cities - Preview of the EU Policy as applied to theMediterranean Coast of Cyprus

摘要

Climate changes and humans activities have a serious impact on coastal zones resulting in changing the face of areas. The need for a more integrated, long term approach is then made evident, something that moved certain initiatives on building on the concept of integrated coastal zone management. Coastal ecosystems are among the most productive, yet highly threaten systems in the world. The EU policy is emphasized in general terms, together with an evaluation of the ecological degradation of the Mediterranean coasts. Serious ecological damages are obvious with considerable increase of artificial surfaces, and changes in the ecology of the marine part of the coastal zone. The city of Limassol in Cyprus is evaluated, stating the ecological risks and the possible mitigation measures, resulting from the EU directives and policies.