Author(s):
Martins, Mónica C. 
; Neto, Carlos S. ; Costa, José Carlos
Date: 2013
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/6371
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): beaches; dunes; plant communities; tourism; nature conservation; Portugal
Description
Due to their position of interface between the sea
and land, the flora and vegetation of coastal beaches and
dunes, occupy ecologically extreme, sensitive, unique and
valuable habitats. The occurrence of a large number of
endemic taxa and specific plant associations endowed with
key ecological services and adapted to a stressful and harsh
environmental gradient, gives them a high interest for nature
conservation and an important role in sustainable territorial
planning. However, such ecosystems are vulnerable to the
disruption caused by several anthropogenic sources. Among
other global threat factors, the inevitable sea rise caused by
climate change and, at a local scale, the non-negligible
implications of trampling caused by disorderly coastal touristic
exploitation, growing construction pressure in the littoral,
and a seasonal population boom in late spring and in
summer, plus all derivate forms of pollution, are threat
factors to their integrity. Therefore, a correct planning of
the touristic economic activities requires the understanding
of the vegetation composition and spatial distribution patterns,
intrinsically determined by their biogeographic context
in the Euro-Siberian or Mediterranean Regions. This
comprehensive work, based on a broad phytogeographic study, brings together disperse information on plant communities
of the Portuguese sandy coasts (beaches and
dunes), by analysing floristic compositions, chorology and
ecological characteristics, and matching them with the “Nature
2000” network habitats. Resilience and vulnerability
are also studied. In a nature conservation perspective, a
positive balance (and a sustainable co-existence) between
the preservation of natural values and human development
in the Portuguese coast, will benefit with the integration of
this knowledge in coastal planning and management
activities
