Geomorphic Metrics for Implementing a ‘Rights of Nature’ Approach in Coastal Management

Parnell, K.E. and Soomere, T., 2024. Geomorphic metrics for implementing a ‘rights of nature’ approach in coastal management. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 38-42. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Although the approach is decades old, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) set within a sustainability framework, has been largely unsuccessful beyond small-scale ‘feel-good’ projects. A Rights of Nature / earth jurisprudence approach to environmental management is being tested, with some jurisdictions embracing it in legislation and policy, and others (such as the European Union) taking a few tentative steps, despite the approach frequently being regarded as extreme. While the concept is broadly understood, the actual rights that must be protected specifically for the coastal environment need to be defined, and they need to be at least partially quantifiable. Eleven rights are proposed. These are a right to a) natural hydrodynamic drivers (waves, tides etc.); b) transport sediment and maintain a balanced sediment budget; c) morphological integrity and natural geodiversity; d) morphologically adjust irrespective of property rights; e) evolve; f) operate at a natural (sediment compartment) scale, spanning human borders; g) be healthy, maximizing resilience; h) be recognized as having inherent worth, regardless of perceived aesthetic, economic or strategic value; i) the integrity of supporting systems and processes; j) be free of structures that impede normal functioning; and k) be restored morphologically and functionally from the impacts of human actions. Many of these rights can be conceptualized and tested in the context of an appropriately scaled coastal sediment budget, and an example is given from the Baltic Sea.