Beach erosion management in Small Island Developing States: Indian Ocean case studies

In Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the questions of coastal erosion and sea defence structures raise specific issues that this paper will discuss in light of the analysis of the situations in Seychelles and Mauritius. These questions relate back to the role of post-colonial development strategies and have close ties with tourism as beaches have an important economic value. Thus, beach erosion has become a major concern both for the authorities, which lack well-documented analyses as well as the technical and financial capacities for developing appropriate strategies, and for tourism operators. The lack of consistent policies often leads to the systematic use of hard engineering structures without any consideration either for coastal dynamics or socioeconomic factors. Nevertheless, in western Indian Ocean states, beach erosion management has evolved positively for the past 15 years under the influence of internal and external factors. The respective roles of the Regional Environment Programme of the Indian Ocean Commission and of the initiatives of tourism operators in recent progress will be highlighted.