Coastal zone sustainability assessment: Palanga case study

Abstract

Sustainable development of a resort requires continuous improvement of the environment, social services and the economy without compromising people rights to enjoy the seaside without harming its ecosystem. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to assess the sustainability of the Palanga seaside, which is one of the main resort in Lithuania as well as to evaluate new green proposals. The object of the research is the beaches of Palanga municipality situated at the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The selection of environmental, social and economic indicators and the limits of their estimates are set on the survey of holidaymakers, observations and the analysis of beach care indicators. The distribution of the waste and the number of cigarettes butts on the beach, the bacteriological and as well as the physicochemical quality of bathing water and the parasitological quality of the beach sand were the main criteria that have been selected as environmental indicators. The analysis of the social aspects have been built on the number of holidaymakers, the intensity of the beach usage, the number of paths to the beach, the accessibility for holidaymakers, environmental education, information sufficiency, accommodation options, entertainment sufficiency, availability of local production, and crime rate. As economic indicators, the taxes using for Palanga’s public tourism and recreation infrastructure, taxes for parking on paid zones and sites, and prices for beach waste management, sandy boarding, beach accessibility management, brushwood, and branch formwork have been evaluated. As the result, the beach’s environmental and economic indicators shown the need for the implementation of innovative solutions. Innovative environmental management and economic proposals have been presented.