Amasowa: An Experiment In The Reclamation Of Eroded Beach Areas On Atoll Islands

Typhoons can cause severe erosion on atoll islands in Micronesia. A common response is to build seawalls, but seawalls can aggravate the problem they are intended to solve. Beach replenishment and revegetation are a natural alternative to the construction of seawalls. This report describes an "amasowa" project, an effort to restore an eroded beach area to its original elevation and replant it with trees and shrubs. All work was done by island families, who were compensated for their efforts. Short-term stability of the reclaimed area was assessed six months later, and attitudes toward the project were surveyed. Grant no. NA36RG0507