Stop Vertical Seawalls

The truth about vertical seawalls is that they don’t protect the beach. They may shelter developments and infrastructure behind the wall but the beach in front is lost to accelerated erosion.

Beaches naturally use their dunes to replenish sand and recover from erosion events. Sandunes are nature’s seawalls, they act like the precious lungs of the beach … breathing in and out with the tides.

For the vast swathes of Australia’s uninhabited shoreline, it’s a dynamic, natural process. But when humans build vertical seawalls to protect private property, they harden the coast and remove its ability to recover naturally.

Alternative Solutions

There are other ways of protecting private property that do not risk the loss of our precious beach systems.

There are other less-damaging solutions such as beach nourishment and offshore artificial reefs, which have both been successfully implemented in areas such as the Gold Coast. Dune restoration is another alternative, which also benefits the local ecosystem.

Take Action

Local community groups are on the ground at beaches around Australia. There are local planning ministers that you can contact via email and petitions you can sign.

For updates visit @surfrideraus on instagram for events when they happen.

What beaches are under threat?