What is the term for strategies that manage the coast by controlling natural processes?

The term that refers to strategies designed to manage the coast by controlling natural processes is "coastal management strategy." This concept encompasses a range of approaches aimed at maintaining the balance between human activities and natural processes along shorelines. These strategies are crucial to mitigate issues such as erosion, flooding, and habitat loss, ensuring sustainable use and preservation of coastal environments.

Coastal management strategies can include both hard engineering solutions, like building sea walls or groins, and soft engineering techniques, like beach nourishment and managed retreat. These strategies are developed based on an understanding of the dynamic interactions between land, water, and human activity, and they aim to prevent or reduce negative impacts of coastal change.

In contrast, coastal planning typically focuses more broadly on zoning and regulations regarding land use along coasts but does not specifically deal with the control of natural processes. Marine conservation emphasizes protecting marine ecosystems and biodiversity, which may not directly involve managing coastal transitions. Environmental restoration involves revitalizing degraded environments rather than actively managing ongoing natural processes. Thus, "coastal management strategy" accurately captures the essence of controlling natural processes in coastal regions.