Material from Coconuts Helps Protect Coastal Areas
2023-03-19
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1Coastal communities around the world are using material from coconuts to reduce beach erosion.
2Long pieces from the outer shell of the coconut, known as coir, are often used with other materials to build barriers.
3The barriers are used to protect beaches from getting washed away by the force of waves.
4The coconut material is widely available and costs a lot less than barriers made of other materials, such as wood, steel or concrete.
5Coir material is processed and put together to form larger pieces.
6It is often held together with netting. In developing areas, old fishing nets can also be used.
7Some projects create "living shorelines" made from natural elements rather than hard materials.
8One is being built along part of an eroded riverbank in Neptune, New Jersey.
9The $1.3 million project is being financed by a mix of federal and local money by the American Littoral Society, a coastal environmental group.
10The effort has already greatly improved areas that suffered major erosion damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
11"We're always trying to reduce wave energy while shielding the shoreline," said Tim Dillingham, the group's director.
12"And whenever we can, we like to employ nature-based solutions."
13The coconut-based material is designed to biodegrade, or break down, over time.
14But before it does, it is sometimes pre-seeded with shoreline plants and grasses.
15Those plants can also be placed in holes that can be punched into the coir material.
16One project is happening in Boston.
17That is where Julia Hopkins, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, is using coir, wood chips and other material to create floating barriers to slow the force of waves.
18A test project has four coconut-based barriers in waterways around Boston.
19Hopkins imagines a network of hundreds or even thousands of mats linked together to protect wider areas.
20Hopkins is pleased with the results she has seen so far.
21She said the coconut material is not costly and is actually being recycled rather than being thrown away.
22Two projects in East Providence, Rhode Island, used coconut material in 2020.
23The next year, 731 meters of damaged shoreline in New York's Jamaica Bay were treated through a project that also included coconut coir material.
24Similar projects have been carried out in the states of Delaware and Texas.
25Indonesia is the world's largest coconut producer, with more than 17 million metric tons in 2021.
26Scientists from the Oceanography Program of Bandung Institute of Technology used coconut material to help build a sea wall in a village in West Java in 2018.
27In southern Senegal, people on Diogue Island are using wooden structures and coconut material to reclaim eroded beaches.
28The method does not always work, however.
29In 2016, the Felix Neck Wildlife Refuge in Edgartown, Massachusetts, built barriers around a salt marsh that had eroded in the past.
30While the effort did help reduce erosion for a while, the material did not last long because of strong waves.
31Suzan Bellincampi is the refuge's director.
32"The project was really interesting in terms of what we wanted to do and how we adapted it," she said.
33"It's not for every site; it has to be site-specific. It works in some places; it doesn't work in all places."
34In a similar way, coconut-based structures were recently used on Chapel Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
35But they were damaged by bad weather.
36Lac des Battures is a lake on Montreal's Nuns' Island in Canada.
37People there use coconut material to control the growth of invasive plants along the shoreline.
38I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Coastal communities around the world are using material from coconuts to reduce beach erosion. 2Long pieces from the outer shell of the coconut, known as coir, are often used with other materials to build barriers. The barriers are used to protect beaches from getting washed away by the force of waves. The coconut material is widely available and costs a lot less than barriers made of other materials, such as wood, steel or concrete. 3Coir material is processed and put together to form larger pieces. It is often held together with netting. In developing areas, old fishing nets can also be used. 4Some projects create "living shorelines" made from natural elements rather than hard materials. One is being built along part of an eroded riverbank in Neptune, New Jersey. The $1.3 million project is being financed by a mix of federal and local money by the American Littoral Society, a coastal environmental group. 5The effort has already greatly improved areas that suffered major erosion damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. "We're always trying to reduce wave energy while shielding the shoreline," said Tim Dillingham, the group's director. "And whenever we can, we like to employ nature-based solutions." 6The coconut-based material is designed to biodegrade, or break down, over time. But before it does, it is sometimes pre-seeded with shoreline plants and grasses. Those plants can also be placed in holes that can be punched into the coir material. 7One project is happening in Boston. That is where Julia Hopkins, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, is using coir, wood chips and other material to create floating barriers to slow the force of waves. 8A test project has four coconut-based barriers in waterways around Boston. Hopkins imagines a network of hundreds or even thousands of mats linked together to protect wider areas. 9Hopkins is pleased with the results she has seen so far. She said the coconut material is not costly and is actually being recycled rather than being thrown away. 10Two projects in East Providence, Rhode Island, used coconut material in 2020. The next year, 731 meters of damaged shoreline in New York's Jamaica Bay were treated through a project that also included coconut coir material. 11Similar projects have been carried out in the states of Delaware and Texas. 12Indonesia is the world's largest coconut producer, with more than 17 million metric tons in 2021. Scientists from the Oceanography Program of Bandung Institute of Technology used coconut material to help build a sea wall in a village in West Java in 2018. 13In southern Senegal, people on Diogue Island are using wooden structures and coconut material to reclaim eroded beaches. 14The method does not always work, however. In 2016, the Felix Neck Wildlife Refuge in Edgartown, Massachusetts, built barriers around a salt marsh that had eroded in the past. While the effort did help reduce erosion for a while, the material did not last long because of strong waves. 15Suzan Bellincampi is the refuge's director. "The project was really interesting in terms of what we wanted to do and how we adapted it," she said. "It's not for every site; it has to be site-specific. It works in some places; it doesn't work in all places." 16In a similar way, coconut-based structures were recently used on Chapel Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. But they were damaged by bad weather. 17Lac des Battures is a lake on Montreal's Nuns' Island in Canada. People there use coconut material to control the growth of invasive plants along the shoreline. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 20___________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22erode - v. to be gradually removed from a place by water, wind 23concrete - n. a hard substance used in many building projects 24net - n. something made with a piece of net, such as a tool to catch fish 25shoreline - n. the edge of a sea, lake or wide river 26biodegrade - v. to decay naturally and in a way that is not harmful 27refuge - n. a place that provides protection or shelter from harmful things 28adapt - v. to change something to suit different conditions 29invasive - adj. moving into all areas of something and very difficult to stop 30______________________________________________________________ 31What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 32Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.