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Address: 5B Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, Lagos - Nigeria

ENVIROMENTAL LAW RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Coastal Erosion1

Coastal Erosion

Coastal erosion is described as a natural process along the world’s coastlines that occurs through the actions of currents and waves and results in the loss of sand residue in some places and accretion in others. The rates of erosion tend to be higher in areas where soft sandstone or mudstones are dominant depending on geological type rather than hard substrates such as basalt or granite. Despite the differences in erosion potential along the world’s coastlines, scientists predict that there have been dramatic increases in coastal erosion over the last two decades. These incidents are expected to continue as sea level risesand storm frequency and severity increases.

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Rather than occurring over the same time scale with sea level rise, erosion of beaches and coastal cliffs is expected to occur in large bursts during storm events as a result of increased wave height and storm intensity.  Erosion will have significant effects on coastal habitats, which can lead to social and economic impacts on coastal communities.

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In this regard, ELRI’s programs in this area are targeted  at enhancing public and institutional attention on the need for sound environmental management of our coastal areas and also proffering appropriate policies and relevant viable laws aimed at promoting coastal adaptive and mitigation strategies to ensure protection of human life and the environment.