Shore protection in the Republic of the Marshall Islands : pilot project report

Abstract

Wind, Wave, and Solar powered shore protection and coral reef restoration projects were installed in the Marshall Islands in early 2010 by the Arno Kobamaron Community Base Organization, in collaboration with the Global Reef Alliance and Pacific Aquaculture Cooperatives, funded by the Federal Republic of Germany Federal Foreign Office Task Force for Humanitarian Aid. The projects were installed at Ine Village, Arno Atoll (Wind powered), Jabo Village, Arno Atoll (Wave powered), and Enemanit, Majuro Atoll, (Solar powered). Local community residents were trained in construction and installation skills. These projects will help restore near-shore coral reefs and fisheries habitat, protecting beaches from wave erosion and allowing them to grow. A tidal current project was originally also planned but unfortunately could not be installed during the project period due to delays by the manufacturer. The results of these pilot demonstration projects dramatically demonstrate that local communities can use their own vast and untapped sources of sustainable energy to grow back their coral reef and fisheries resources and protect their islands from erosion by global sea level rise. There is a critically urgent need to replicate this example on a large scale in all low-lying island nations and coasts before global sea level rise accelerates.