Coastal erosion risks are taken to include all mechanisms and processes that lead to recession of the shoreline and may include cliffs, beaches, lowlands and estuaries. Existing practice and understanding of coastal erosion risks and its causative factors are being reviewed to allow a clear understanding of the system linkages and feedbacks that cause coastal erosion.

A series of assessment tools are being developed. These are based upon consistently available data to ensure that these tools can be used by local authority managers around England and Wales.

Halcrow project manager, Adam Hosking said, 'The methods developed by this research will directly contribute to the achievement of DEFRA's High Level Target 6 (Coast protection inspections and assessment of coastal erosion risk). It will provide a means of better understanding the extent of coastal erosion risks and the likely implications of future natural and human changes to the shoreline at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

This will provide a strengthened framework for erosion risk assessment, and in turn risk management, which is a key aspect of DEFRA's current strategy review.'