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Two weeks of seasonal rough seas have left Mullins Beach a disaster zone. Nowhere is this more evident than the area around the Westpoint beach cottage on the northern end of the beach. The waves unearthed the bedrock of the area, footings of old permanent beach umbrellas that disappeared a generation ago, and threaten the toppling of the few remaining coconut trees on the beach.
Current rumour now is that they are planning to build even more groynes in the area to correct the damage already caused by the three groynes added three years ago. This is utter madness as it just pushes the erosion problem further down the coast like the ones at St. Peter's Bay have done - not to mention the chopping up of the beach into inaccessible little coves and, as pictured below in the case of St. Peter's Bay, presenting visitors with formidable ugly piles of rocks where once there was sandy beach.
St. Peter's Bay Beach Disaster January 1, 2010
Clearly, what we need is less rocks and more sand. Sand helps to cushion the effect of the waves on the coastline whereas rocks exacerbate the problem by producing rip currents and other phenomena which destroy beaches. We need to implement a program of widening beaches with sand such as that currently under way in Cancun, Mexico. If we don't, Cancun and other tropical tourist destinations that are doing it right will eat our lunch.
Cancun, Mexico
Links:
"But this spring, things appear to be on the up. Travellers have been returning to Cancun by the chartered planeload, driven by cut-price packages available even in the smartest resorts, and the sands are once again there to welcome them. The beaches, trumpets the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), are back and they’re better than ever. The coast of Cancun has undergone a complex, highly political and remarkably long-winded beach recovery project costing $71m ..."
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://coastalcare.org/2010/07/the-battle-for-the-beaches-of-cancun/