D.L. Revell, J.J. Marra, and G.B. Griggs 2007. Sandshed Management. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 50 (Proceedings of the 9th International Coastal Symposium), 93 – 98. Gold Coast, Australia, ISSN 0749.0208

Sandshed management links the well-known concept of watershed management with a regional approach to shoreline management that emphasises the maintenance of a sandy beach to provide hazard protection while preserving recreational, ecological and economic benefits. Sandshed management planning is described as a three step – inventory, analysis, and implementation process. The inventory is comprised of a collection of cultural characteristics such as economic, social and environmental assets, jurisdictional boundaries, shoreline uses and activities as well as the physical processes that operate across a range of time and space scales to affect shoreline stability. Delineation of the sediment budget, the balance between sources and sinks within a sandshed, is a key part of the physical inventory. The analysis step includes both an assessment of the cause and extent of inundation and erosion-related hazards, and an evaluation of a range of potentially applicable management measures. Describing the positive and negative impacts associated with potential management measures in a way that accounts for community values and priorities is a key part of the analysis process. Once a preferred alternative or suite of alternatives has been identified, a range of implementation mechanisms need to be established. These may include memoranda of understanding or letters of agreement between agencies and organisations or more formal measures such as the adoption of planning and/or zoning code provisions. The comprehensive, regional approach embodied in the concept of sandshed management has significant implications to the management of our coasts worldwide.