Our battered coast

Waves and wind batter the coast.

In some places the waves erode the land along the coast. This high cliff has rocks that have tumbled down.

In other places the waves and wind make large sand dunes.

The safest beaches have shallow water. The waves and currents have not washed the sand away.

This harbour has been built to protect boats from large waves and storms.

Ports

Ports need to be built in places where they are protected from storms and big waves.

Grasses, trees and shrubs growing on the sand dunes stops the sand from being washed or blown away.

Plants growing along the sides of cliffs slows the erosion of rock, soil and sand.

Erosion happens when soil, sand or rock get moved away by water or wind. What part of this dune is eroding?

Erosion can be natural. Storms with big waves erode the coast over a long time making cliffs.

We sometimes want to reduce this erosion so we build sea walls.

We can also cause erosion by destroying the plants growing along the coast.

Cars driven on this dune have killed the plants and the sand is eroding away.

How will these cars parking on the beach affect the plants trying to grow in the sand?

People have also destroyed some of the mangroves that also protect the coast. This eroding beach was once a mangrove forest.

Can you see the erosion? The stairs have been built to stop the dune from eroding more.

Where there is erosion new tracks and growing more plants can help to stop the damage.

Sensitive areas can be fenced off stopping people and animals walking on the plants.

This sand dune is being protected by keeping people out.

By making people go on a boardwalk, the plants have a chance to grow back.

We can all help protect our coast by staying on the tracks.