Unreliably stable, 'soft' rock shores are sometimes neglected from coastal zone policy, and have a playbook of obscure, sometimes contradictory science. A coast-type often suffering from 'esoteric' management, I have seen: policy unable to discriminate between soft rock and sandy shores. counter-productive upper slope stabilisation, and massive revetment construction when a bit of drainage probably would have done the trick... Following Chris Sharples' terminology, soft rock

Vegetation plays a critical role in the dynamics of estuarine shores. The spatial distribution and structural functions of riparian species interact with pressures developed by waves and water levels to determine foreshore stability. Understanding the balance of these pressures, and how they may change over time, is an essential part of effective decision-making for foreshore management.