The Mediterranean Dune–Beach–Banquette Ecosystem, Its Pivotal Role in Land–Sea Coupling and the Functioning of Coastal Systems, and Some Related Management Issues

Charles-François Boudouresque (), Patrick Astruch, Bruno Belloni, Aurélie Blanfuné, Charlotte Francesiaz, Maële Maury, Frédéric Médail, Guilhan Paradis, Michèle Perret-Boudouresque, Carole Piazza, Philippe Ponel, Pauline Sindou and Thierry Thibaut
Additional contact information
Charles-François Boudouresque: Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille University and University of Toulon, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Patrick Astruch: GIS Posidonie, OSU Pythéas, Aix-Marseille University, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Bruno Belloni: GIS Posidonie, OSU Pythéas, Aix-Marseille University, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Aurélie Blanfuné: Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille University and University of Toulon, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Charlotte Francesiaz: OFB-DRAS—Unité Avifaune Migratrice, Les Portes du Soleil 147 Avenue de Lodève, 34990 Juvignac, France
Maële Maury: GIS Posidonie, OSU Pythéas, Aix-Marseille University, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Frédéric Médail: Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et D’écologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE), Aix Marseille University, Avignon University, CNRS, IRD, Campus Aix, Technopôle de l’Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, 13545 Aix-en-Provence cedex 4, France
Guilhan Paradis: 7 Cours Général Leclerc, 20000 Ajaccio, France
Michèle Perret-Boudouresque: GIS Posidonie, OSU Pythéas, Aix-Marseille University, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Carole Piazza: Conservatoire Botanique National de Corse, Office de l’environnement de la Corse, 14 Avenue Jean Nicoli, 20250 Corti, France
Philippe Ponel: Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et D’écologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE), Aix Marseille University, Avignon University, CNRS, IRD, Campus Aix, Technopôle de l’Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, 13545 Aix-en-Provence cedex 4, France
Pauline Sindou: GIS Posidonie, OSU Pythéas, Aix-Marseille University, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
Thierry Thibaut: Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille University and University of Toulon, Campus of Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-31

Abstract: In the Mediterranean, the dune–beach ecosystem is characterized by the presence of thick deposits of dead leaves of the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica , called banquettes (Dune–Beach–Banquette ecosystem—DBB). This ecosystem plays an important role in the coupling between sea and land. The banquettes provide important ecosystem services: protection of beaches against erosion, contribution to the building of the dune, and a source of nitrogen for coastal vegetation. They are home to a rich and diverse invertebrate fauna that are consumed by other predatory invertebrates and seabirds. A conceptual model of the functioning of the DBB ecosystem and its relation with adjacent ecosystems has been outlined. When dead P. oceanica leaves return to the sea, which is the fate of most of the banquette, they constitute an important source of carbon and nutrients for coastal ecosystems and fisheries. Beach management, with the removal of banquettes and driftwood to meet the supposed requirements of beach users and tourists, is an ecological disaster, in addition to being an economic burden for coastal municipalities. Beach management methods that respect the interactions between the marine and terrestrial realms, which preserve the beaches from erosion and allow the return of the banquettes to the sea, and which take into account the real perceptions of beach users are feasible in the framework of the concept of the ‘ecological beach’.

Keywords: beach; dune; ecosystem-based approach; management; Mediterranean; Posidonia oceanica banquette (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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