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

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

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

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