Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost federal state of Germany faces two seas: the North Sea to the west and the Baltic Sea to the east. In all, it has a coastline of 1,190 km and about 3,700 km(2) of flood-prone coastal lowlands. In these lowlands, that represent almost 25% of total surface area, 345,000 people live and economic assets worth of 47 billion Euros are concentrated. In recognition of the high assets at stake and of future climate change, the Schleswig-Holstein Government adopted in 2001 a master plan: Integrated Coastal Defence Management in Schleswig-Holstein. It contains the strategy and the financial concept for coastal defence in the coming decades. After a general overview of the coastal zones, this paper describes the coastal defence strategy in Schleswig-Holstein. Special consideration will be given to the climate change adaptation components in the master plan. The paper ends with an outlook towards the implementation of the EU Flood Directive.
Hostede, J
Climate change and coastal adaptation strategies: the Schleswig-Holstein perspective
Baltica