Coastal Tourism, Environment, and Sustainable Local Development

Abstract

Some of the most profound changes in the littoral have arisen from direct decisions by man concerning land use, and these have affected both the quality of environmental resources, such as soils and water and the sustainability of coastal ecosystems. Land use decisions in coastal areas are based on opportunities and constraints affected by both biophysical and socio-economic drivers, being land use and land use changes one of the main issues integrating the large debate on sustainable development.