Cancun Barrier: Alternatives for beach restoration

Abstract

Among the effects of hurricane Gilbert, in 1988, on Yucatan Peninsula the erosions in Cancun barrier acquired special meaning, although their first origin had, without doubt, been the inadequate way of tourist development. Paradoxically, but also consequently, their social and economical effects came soon out to the whole estate. Therefore several studies were developed during nineties and later until 2004 to generate alternative projects to recover and maintain the barrier beach. Some of the proposed solutions consisted on a simple nourishment but some other complemented it with small rigid works. The solution finally implemented, along first half of 2006, consisted on just nourishment, whose details are not enough known yet. In this paper the foreseeable efficiency of the proposed and the built projects are discussed together with the more general question about the suitability and environmental behaviour of rigid works in beach regeneration projects.