GIS databases to support environmental monitoring and the planning of maritime coastal works

Stefano Coppo, Andrea Picollo

Regione Liguria (I)

Abstract

The Regione Liguria, in collaboration with the Regional Environment Agency, carries out a monitoring action of the coastal marine environment according to the protocol stated by national law that plans analyses of water, phytoplancton, sediments, bivalves (bioaccumulation) as well as of benthonic communities (Posidonia oceanica sea-meadows and sediment populations); every data is input to a geo-related database that allows its use in a GIS environment.
The sampling points are located in and representative of a number of homogeneous areas, individuated on the basis of biological and geo-morphological characteristics as well as of the anthropic pressure on a certain zone.
Regione Liguria has recently ruled the beach feeding activity. This activity has a great importance for the management and promotion of bathing tourism and from the last year all data about the interventions are uploaded in a GIS database.
When it comes to the planning of maritime coastal works in a perspective of defending the marine habitats worth of a safeguard action the Liguria Region has produced detailed maps of the main benthonic communities. That has been done integrating in a GIS environment aerial photos, side scan sonar surveys and all information coming from local studies of environmental impact.