Transitioning from “Grey to Green”: Nature-Based Solution Seawall for Coastal Protection

Abstract

The Pacific Island countries are now facing a new threat to their survival due to Climate change. Small low-lying atoll countries, as well as the coastal populations of the small island countries, are constantly threatened by climate change. With the rise of the sea level, coastlines are eroding, and villages, houses, burial grounds, arable land, and other infrastructures are gradually being washed away. The only option for sites well below sea level is to relocate the entire population to higher ground. This option is very costly and not in the best interest of the communities, given that relocation not only means moving houses and people but also breaking away from the ancestral grounds and their heritage. Construction of brick and steel seawalls is a costly option, given the number and length of walls that need to be constructed. This paper provides an alternative model, a transition from these grey structures to green nature-based seawalls that are cheap, environmentally, ecologically sound, and culturally responsible. The seawall design, required materials, methodology of construction, and engineering aspects are presented in this paper. This is the first nature-based seawall in the world—an example of using nature to deal with a problem caused by nature itself.