kustzones

Kustzones, or coastal zones, are zones along the coast where land meets sea, encompassing terrestrial and marine environments, extending from the shoreline to inland limits where the land is no longer influenced by marine processes. The exact boundaries vary with local context, but they typically include the intertidal area, backshore, nearshore waters, estuaries, and adjacent ecosystems. The term kustzones is used in Dutch-language coastal geography, with the English equivalent being coastal zones.

Key components include the intertidal zone (exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide) and supratidal or backshore (above the high tide line but affected by spray), as well as dunes, beaches, cliffs, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves, and nearshore shelf waters. These environments host unique habitats and support biodiversity and human resources such as fisheries and tourism.

Kustzones are shaped by dynamic physical processes including waves, tides, currents, and sediment transport, as well as ecological processes that create nurseries for fish and birds. They provide protection from storms and coastal erosion, while also offering recreational space and economic value. They are vulnerable to sea-level rise, storms, pollution, and coastal development.

Management of kustzones often relies on integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), zoning, dune restoration, habitat conservation, and nature-based solutions. Monitoring and climate adaptation planning aim to balance protection, sustainable use, and resilience for both ecosystems and local communities.