Soft shoreline management, setbacks & managed retreat

Names and classification

Record type

intervention

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Recorded state

Available, active, proposed or context-dependent

Conservation interventions

Action definition

Preserve room for beach/dune migration and reduce dependence on hard armoring

Mechanism of action

Avoid new hardening, use setbacks/relocation/retreat and compatible nourishment or nature-based approaches

Prerequisites

Long-term planning; landowner/community agreement; funding; legal/regulatory pathway

Implementation context

Eroding sandy coasts and low-lying development areas

Expected outcomes

Greater long-term persistence of beach/dune habitat and reduced coastal squeeze

Monitoring design

Armoring length; setback/retreat area; beach width; shoreline migration; habitat persistence

Unintended consequences

Property/equity impacts; nourishment can affect nearshore habitat if poorly designed

Implementation limits

Implementation status, cost and efficacy must be tied to a dated place/program record.

Sources and further reading

• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/occl/coastal-lands-program/
• https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/occl/coastal-lands/

Connected Atlas records

• Sea-level rise & coastal squeeze · Threats & Conservation
• Shoreline hardening & beach/dune loss · Threats & Conservation