In Tune with Dunes

In the sunny coastal town of Caparica there is a tiny issue that the Global Navigators went to investigate.  Well actually there are millions of tiny issues there, but luckily there is one simple solution. 

The grains of sand (the "tiny issues") being moved from tourists and fishermen alike, are degrading the all-important dune eco-system that the town depends on.    Without the dunes, the quaint village faces risk of flooding from ocean storms.  Without the dunes the town faces a loss of wildlife that is intimately connected to the marron grass and beach vines that used to rule this postcard worthy getaway.  

The solution?  Channel human travel to designated walkways.  Simple, right? 

Locals were already excited about the results from the first group of CIEE students in June.  In just a few short weeks of barricading off a dune that had long been trampled, new flora was sprouting and the sand was stabilizing.  

We painted cane sticks with blue and yellow stripes (the color of the sea and sun) and decorated signs encouraging people to enjoy and preserve the nature around them before sticking them in strategic places.  This project is wonderfully straightforward and is inclusive of different disciplines.  An architecture fellowship group from Berlin was constructing an aesthetically pleasing, wooden dowel hinged (because screws rust quickly next to the sea!) walkway with benches built in.  An NGO called "TransforMAR" (a play on the words "change" and "sea") from the UK had raised funds to invite groups like CIEE and others to help raise awareness and complete the barricades.  Our trusty biologist Patricia from Lisbon, meets monthly with Caparica leaders to analyze progress. 

What a wonderful cross cultural collaboration in the name of the environment!  We were stoked to be part of the progress.