In the past two decades a set of instruments has been devised by the
Portuguese authorities to handle the issue of coastal erosion. We argue that this legal
apparatus not only lacks the internal integration necessary for its effectiveness, but it
also fails to recognise the ways in which the problem materialises in the everyday
life of coastal areas. Through a case study in the village of Furadouro in Western
Portugal, we demonstrate how this top-down implementation of policies does not
promote a true communication of risks, in the sense that the problem of coastal
erosion is not “put in common” across levels of governance