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Larnaca - Cyprus
PROVEN EXPERTISE

By 2050, around one billion people could be living in coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels and marine submersion, while 60% of the world's population already lives within 100km from the coast (IPCC).

 

Espace Pur implements scalable and reversible solutions to meet these emerging challenges and protect the environment. 

INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION

INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE  

Oil company infrastructures

Issues

The coastline is also an industrial area. Oil terminals, pipelines, subsea internet cables, electrical cables, as well as sewage treatment plants and factories, are all threatened by erosion and rising water levels.

 

Risks​

  • Reduced output

  • Destruction of industrial facilities

  • Loss of services

  • Displacement of activities

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Buffer zone creation to protect infrastructure

  • Reducing swell activity against shorelines 

  • Securing land behind dunes

TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE 

Tourism Resort

Issues

Tourism is closely linked to the coast. In 2017, tourism generated 1,400 billion dollars were generated worldwide through hotel complexes, open-air hotels, holiday villages and recreational facilities such as surf spots and golf courses. All these activities are threatened by rising sea levels and marine erosion.

 

Risks​

  • Reduced capacity

  • Drop in visitor numbers

  • Destruction of infrastructure

  • Forced relocation or cessation of activity

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Cliff reinforcement

  • Dune reinforcement

  • Beach creation and widening

  • Biodiversity enhancement

  • Natural beach creation and widening

  • Natural land stabilisation (such asgolf courses)

  • Biodiversity enhancement

PORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Boat ramp

Issues

Exposed to an increasing number of severe climatic events, concrete and coated structures endure hydraulic stresses that contribute to their degradation. Impeded currents frequently results in siltation near these structures, affecting boat traffic.

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Risks​

  • Loss of navigability

  • Loss of access to the sea

  • Displacement of activities

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Securing sea defenses

  • Reinforcing dykes

  • Wave attenuation

  • Desilting through sediment flow regulation

  • Protecting and improving access to slipways

URBAN AND ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IN COASTAL TOWNS

Urban seafront

​Issues

Numerous urban areas are located along the world's coastlines, with populations ranging from a few thousand to tens of millions. On a global scale, by 2050, 300 million people could be affected by rising sea levels, according to IPCC.

 

Risks​

  • Loss of security for inhabitants

  • Destruction of housing and infrastructure

  • Mass population displacement (climate refugees)

  • Health crises: contamination of drinking water, overflows of untreated wastewater, spread of disease, malnutrition

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Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Buffer zone creation to protect homes and infrastructure

  • Mitigation of swells against shorelines

  • Securing built-up areas

  • Actions to enabling a managed retreat

PROTECTION OF SENSIBLE NATURAL AREAS

BEACHES AND ISLANDS

Caribbean beach protected by STABIPLAGE®

Context and issues

Islands and coral reefs are at the forefront of the challenges posed by climate and environmental change. Fragile and vulnerable, they are subject to rising sea levels, erosion, increased violent weather events, overcrowding, and pollution. The surface area of islands is shrinking. The height and width of coral reefs are declining. Nearly 500 million people (including nearly 30 million poor people) depend on them directly and indirectly for their livelihoods and other resources.

Risks

  • Disappearance of beaches and destruction of biodiversity

  • Threat to land, buildings and human activities on the back beach

  • Loss of territorial attractiveness (natural, economic, tourist)

  • Destruction of nesting sites of protected species

  • Gradual disappearance of islands and coral reefs

  • Destruction of natural and tourist heritage

  • Population displacement (climate refugees)

 

 

Solutions deployed by Espace Pur

  • Raising coastal profiles, recreating beaches through natural sediment capture or swell mitigation

  • Strengthening barriers and coral reefs by installing swell attenuating structures, supporting biodiversity

DUNES

French beach protected by STABIPLAGE®

Issues

Dunes, dune belts and cliffs act as natural barriers in coastal areas. These help prevent flooding during severe meteorological events. When these areas are eroded (with their stability threatened, reduced footprint, and little or no vegetation), they no longer fulfil their natural role in protecting rear areas, leaving them exposed to flooding.

 

Risks

  • Flooding

  • Submersion

  • Destruction of buildings 

  • Threats to economic activities

  • Loss of wetlands and sensitive and protected natural areas

  • Population displacement (climate refugees)

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Reinforcing the “core” of the dune or cliff base

  • Prevention and filling breaches

  • Revegetation with endemic species

LAGOONS AND ESTUARIES

Asian lagoon protected by STABIPLAGE®

Issues 

Coastal ecosystems are highly productive areas (fish farming, oyster farming, salt production, etc.), and play an essential role in human well-being, thanks to their vast biological resources and the vital services they provide. 

 

Lagoons and estuaries form an integral part of the coastal zone. When these areas become silted up or their banks are eroded, the overall balance of the coastline is threatened , which risks significant degradation 

 

Risks​

  • Destruction of living organisms

  • Reduction in sediment supply to the foreshore

  • Eutrophication

  • Threats to economic activities such as boat traffic and aquaculture

  • Threat to the sustainability of vital services

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​​

  • Regulating aquatic and sediment flows

  • Restoring natural functions 

  • Protecting banks against erosion

  • Recreating overall dynamic stability

  • Desilting

RIVERS AND LAKES

River arm restaured by STABIPLAGE®

Issues 

Rivers and lakes are increasingly affected by climate change, experiencing droughts, flooding and eutrophication. These imbalances threaten populations and surrounding areas.

 

Risks​

  • Flooding and salinisation of agricultural land

  • Flooding of urban areas 

  • Impediments to navigation

  • Loss of biodiversity

  • Destruction of riverbanks

  • Destruction of natural and tourist heritage

  • Population displacement

 

Solutions implemented by Espace Pur​

  • Raising low water levels

  • Regulating sediment flows 

  • Raising and reinforcing riverbanks

  • Ecological restoration

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