Long pieces from the outer shell of the coconut (椰子), known as coir (椰子壳粗纤维), 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. And it is designed to biodegrade (生物降解) or break down, over time.
Some projects create "living shorelines" made from natural elements rather than hard materials. One is being built along part of an eroded (被侵蚀的) riverbank in Neptune, New Jersey. The effort has already greatly improved areas that suffered major erosion damage. "We're always trying to reduce wave energy while protecting the shoreline, " said Tim Dillingham, the group's director. "And whenever we can, we like to employ nature-based solutions."
Another project is happening in Boston. That is where Julia Hopkins, an assistant pro-fessor at Northeastern University, is using coir, wood chips and other materials to create floating barriers to slow the force of waves. Hopkins is pleased with the results. She says the coconut material is not costly and is actually being recycled rather than being thrown away.
Two 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. Similar projects have been carried out in the states of Delaware and Texas.
The method doesn't 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.
Suzan Bellincampi is the refuge's director. "The project is really interesting in terms of what we want to do and how we adapt it," she said. "It's not for every site. It works in some places; it doesn't work in all places."
