Dealing with Expertise and non Expertise Knowledge about Coastal Risk

Abstract

The Portuguese coastal zone is of major importance to the level of national economy and to the environment, and supports a huge biodiversity and landscape. However, there has been a significant population increase within the coastal zone generating strong pressures on the environment; which thus becomes progressively weaker. To prevent and anticipate potential problems due to a lack of knowledge, or the inability to intervene and minimize impacts, this work makes a survey of three perspectives for the coastal zone of the Portuguese central region: scientific, technical and political, and another one emerging from citizens and communities.