Joey Issa Saddened by High Rate of Loss of Beachfront, Urges Long Term Solution

Beach erosion, which is caused by elements like currents, waves, and sea level changes is said to have become a headline issue around the world for both sheltered and exposed shorelines.

And whenever Joe Issa is reminded of the country’s eroding beaches he envisions the end of sea bathing and fun on the sand with the kids, a fear that has been expressed in a 2010 study, which said the beaches would start disappearing within 5-10 years.  

“Can you imagine not having a beach on the island to take the kids to swim and have fun on the sand? It’s going to change the way of life for many people, with reduced quality, at least.

“At worst, the erosion of our coastlines will cause massive loss of public and private property including tourism infrastructure, which cannot be replaced, as well as massive dislocation of families, who must brace for further dislocation once the tourism industry is finally ruined,” Issa predicts.

The latest report calls for alarm at the rate the country is losing its beaches. It said last year nine feet of beaches were lost, with some places registering an eight-foot loss. It recorded a low of five feet in a few areas.

Speaking in an interview Issa, who has been vocal in his support for environmental protection, especially leading to last December’s Paris conference on global warming, says the island clearly cannot sustain that rate of loss of its beaches, which provide the foundation for its major earning tourism sector.

With the passion of someone who brings sand from outside to replenish beachfront lost by erosion, Issa says “it is unimaginable that we are not able to prevent our beaches from eroding so fast. At that rate, we will soon have no beach to go to, and we can’t allow it to happen. We have to look at long term solutions.”

In leaving it to the environmental engineers to design long term solutions, Issa says “we need to find the best long term solution to the problem of beach erosion. And where ‘mother nature’ dictates that we can’t, we have to continually counteract its action by building back the beach with sand from outside the area.”

Issa’s view is substantiated by the 2010 study, which said that “the highest erosion rates have occurred after 1991, when beach recovery after storms has been slower, and these trends are likely to continue.”

“It is expected that long-term sea level rise, changing patterns of tropical storms and cyclones in the region (in terms of both frequency and intensity), diminishing sand supplies due to coastal ecosystem degradation as well as coastal development will exert an even higher toll on Negril’s beaches,” the report added.

According to the experts, “One of the most popular solutions to beach erosion issues is something known as ‘beach restoration’ or ‘beach nourishment’.  However, this is not only a temporary solution, but it is also a controversial subject. Sand must be trucked in from other sources and filtered for sediment. This sand, too, will eventually make its way into the air or the water, bringing it back to its eroded state.”

They cited seawalls, revetments, and jetties along the shoreline as another popular solution. But Dr. Ken Ruben, assistant professor of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Hawaii says, “These have a negative effect on beaches because once sea water reaches them, it bounces off with more energy than a wave washing back off a normal sand beach.”

The preferred solution is the use of natural vegetation. It said that natural fibers, like coir, can help propagate the growth and provide stability to root systems. If a seawall must be built, the fabric underlay should be a geo-textile.