Group Project #1

Soft-Engineering Schemes - Erosion

TASK

The aim of this task is to conduct a case study where you examine the conflicting pressure on a named coastline, and to discuss and evaluate the management strategies used.


1:st blog task is simple. Why is erosion considered to be a hazard? And why should the coastline be protected?

RESPONSE

Conflicts surrounding erosion on beaches around the world have led to a number of management strategies. In this case study soft engineering will be looked upon as a strategy to prevent erosion of beaches. Erosion is the natural process of material transport, but can cause beach destruction. In order to prevent beach erosion, different types of beach nourishment schemes have been developed. These schemes are set up mostly to extend the beach to prevent the sand of being carried away through longshore drift.

Soft engineering is based on the proposal that the span of stakeholders affect the best fit solution. In the example of Waikiki beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, some stakeholders are; the Waikiki Improvement Association; other Waikiki Beach hotels, including the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, Hyatt Regency, Waikiki Beach Marriott, Pacific Beach Hotel, and Aston Waikiki Beach; the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation and Ocean Safety Division; the beach concessions; the Waikiki Neighborhood Board; and the state Department of Health. The focus on environmental aspects greatly affect the choice of having beach replenishment. The relocation of sand at Waikiki beach has mainly been financially supported by hotels and business owners, which attracts the tourists to come visit. This is in contrast to the environmentalists view that want the beach to stay natural and without compromise the wildlife inhabiting it.

The solution of beach replenishment is temporary, as the sand that is pumped from the ocean onto the shore will drift away as the season progresses. It is an expensive ordeal that needs to be carried out with regular intervals to sustain the effect. The widening of the beach will benefit tourism as more people can move about and use their money at hotels, bars,  and concessions. In that sense the soft engineering strategy is functional and executable.

Conclusively it can be stated that Waikiki beach is a success story of soft engineering. If the erosion is not prevented, there will be loss of income for the beach's stakeholders and wildlife will be affected. The success of this project is only touching upon the possibilities, and soft-engineering will hopefully be the answer to beach erosion, favoured over hard-engineering in the furure. 

Completed by Evelina Thelander and Lydia Arvidsson Shukur