Construction
Developments along the Adelaide coastline, such as marinas, weirs, boat ramps, housing and commercial buildings, have caused coastal erosion and sand loss, an issue that has been of concern since the 1950’s. This has endangered important coastal habitats and is very expensive to manage. Areas in Adelaide where significant damage has been done to the coastline through over development include West Beach and the Glenelg foreshore.
Erosion at West Beach dunes
How it impacts the coastal environment
Increasing coastal development is causing the disappearance of valuable coastal habitats, native vegetation, and the erosion of coastlines and cliff tops. Pollution in the form of household and garden runoff, litter and car oil also increases when people choose to live or build businesses along the coastline. The impact from this popular lifestyle choice will threaten the last fragments of our natural coastline.
The construction of weirs at the ends of rivers impacts animals such as native fish which move between these environments to complete their lifecycles. An example of a fish that uses both freshwater and saltwater is the lamprey.