Beach nourishment and coastal replenishment are soft alternatives to hard coastal defences such as flood barriers, groynes and dykes. Essentially, beach nourishment protects against flooding and erosion by dissipating wave energy. The fundamental aim is to work with nature to provide innovative solutions to ensure that the natural ecosystem remains in balance.

In light of our focus on sustainable, nature-based techniques, we have been involved in projects for example to test whether biogenic reefs (shellfish, marine flora, sand mason worm reefs) have the capacity to reduce erosion and even storm waves.

These projects recognise the increasing need for coastal flood defences as sea levels rise due to the impact of global warming.

Additionally, when beach nourishment or near-shore replenishments projects are underway, it is vital to limit the disruption to the natural environment as much as possible by taking breeding seasons into account.