Managing lakeshore erosion: Impacts of bank protection on Loch Lomond, Scotland

The shoreline of Loch Lomond is currently undergoing erosion not only becau se of passive natural changes but also because of active changes produced b y the interaction of shoreline protection structures and natural processes. In order to assess the influence of protection structures on different typ es of loch shore, the shores were classified and their total extent, includ ing the extent of artificial shore, was quantified. The effect of structure s is often felt on adjacent shores as well as on those that the structure i s designed to protect. In order to assess the extent of impact of structure s, sediment cells were identified along the loch shore within which the eff ects of a structure may produce compensatory effects but beyond which they will not. A management strategy is presented that is aimed at minimising th e detrimental effects of any future intervention in the shore system.