foreshore
As foreland an upstream area in terms is referred to a larger geographic area.
The foothills of the Alps is that area of the alpine mountain range in Europe that is characterized by lower elevations and rather hilly landscapes.
The foreland of the dike is the area between a body of water and a dike that has arisen from land protection or land reclamation measures , which serves to protect “the land behind the dike”.
If the areas of the dike foreland were previously used as agricultural land, today they are partly habitats for rare animal and plant species that are protected by national and international regulations. In some cases, this use creates conflicts between nature and coastal or bank protection .
The earlier use of the dike foreland as an agricultural area was only possible to a limited extent, however, because it also served as a flood plain (run-up area) during floods .
In contrast, the formerly natural floodplains along the rivers are different. In order to gain land, dikes or embankments were soon built right next to the course of the river and the bed was deepened with them, but also in itself. So the flood could no longer overflow its banks.
Under the influence of climatic changes, however, the rivers are now increasingly experiencing excessive and prolonged flooding as a result of continuous or torrential rain, as well as snow and glacier melt . Such persistent floods cause the embankments and dykes to soften and / or break . This development is now being sought by creating floodplain areas , also diked as retention basins , by setting back the dikes, especially in curves, or by regulating the water level .
