Abstract

This report was commissioned to review available research on both beach user perceptions and values, and perceptions of coastal erosion.

A key finding is that, although beaches are highly valued and utilised resources, beach user opinions and preferences and community perceptions of coastal erosion have only rarely been studied and even more rarely used as a contribution to management.

Nonetheless, some preliminary findings can be drawn from the available work. It should be noted that these findings are largely drawn from overseas literature and primarily based on surveys of beach users of European descent.

Beach user values and perceptions of coastal erosion [PDF, 441 KB]

Contents
Executive Summary		i
	Purpose of Report	i
	Beach Use	I
	Beach User Values and Perceptions	i
	Perceptions of Coastal Erosion	ii
	Perceptions of Adjustment Options	ii
1 Introduction		1
	1.1 Purpose and Methodology	1
	1.2 Structure of the Report	1
	1.3 Waikato Beaches and Coastal Erosion	1
	1.4 Importance of Beaches	2
	1.5 Importance of Beach User Values and Perceptions	3
2 Beaches and Uses		4
	2.1 Temporal Variations in Beach Use	4
	2.2 Beach Activities	6
3 Factors Influencing Beach User Preferences		8
	3.1 Beach Development Status	8
	3.2 Environmental Quality	12
	3.3 Physical Characteristics	15
	3.4 Accessibility and Convenience	18
	3.5 Personal Association and Familiarity	19
	3.6 Other Aspects	20
4 Coastal Erosion		21
4	.1 Perception and Understanding of Coastal Erosion	22
	4.2 Perceptions of Adjustment Options	25
	4.3 Perception of the Role of Government	30
	4.4 Social Construction and Political Dimension of Coastal Erosion	32
5 Conclusions		33
6 References		37
Appendix I: Summary Of References		46
Appendix II: Annotated Bibliography		51

Beach user values and perceptions of coastal erosion

Abstract

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