Environmental technologies to safeguard coastal heritage

In recent years, an increasing awareness of the importance of the coastal heritage has been raised. Coastal zones represent the interface between land and sea, and are characterized by ecosystems, natural resources, historical urban centres and traditions. During the last decades, both human activities conducted in coastal areas and the occurrence of natural hazards have increased their vulnerability. Thus, coastal management plans have been developed, focusing on the safeguard and enhancement of cultural and environmental heritage of these areas. For this purpose, several technologies have been proposed. The present paper discusses on the main critical issues affecting coastal heritage, paying attention to the coast of the Apulian region, in southern Italy. The most widely used technologies and the last frontiers to safeguard coastal areas are presented and some recent results in their application are shown.