Artificial mangrove roots offer a stopgap for Thailand’s eroding coastline
Residents of Phra Samut Chedi, one of Thailand’s most erosion-prone districts, have long struggled against coastal erosion. It’s located in the muddy heart of the Chao Phraya River Delta, where Bangkok’s major watercourse empties into the Gulf of Thailand. Here, roughly 20-60 meters (about 66-200 feet) of land is claimed by the sea annually, eating […]
Phra Samut Chedi, a district in Thailand plagued by coastal erosion, has long been a concern for its residents. Situated in the Chao Phraya River Delta, roughly 20-60 meters of land is lost to the sea annually, threatening farmland and forcing families to relocate. A new study proposes an innovative solution using artificial mangrove roots to combat this issue.
Over 15 months, the nature-inspired system was tested at 11 sites in Phra Samut Chedi and other parts of Samut Prakan province, demonstrating varying degrees of success. The system, published in Ocean & Coastal Management, led to sediment deposition ranging from 16-88 centimeters, contingent on local conditions. According to the researchers, this method could serve as an effective hybrid nature-based solution, combining engineered structures with natural ecological processes like mangrove restoration.
Butsawan Bidorn, the study's senior author and an assistant professor of coastal engineering at Chulalongkorn University, emphasized the need for rapid and accessible solutions in the dynamic Chao Phraya Delta. Aquaculture farmers have faced significant challenges, with one farmer losing everything after a collapsed dike due to wave impact.
Demonstrating the system's potential benefits, Butsawan's work offers hope to struggling communities facing the relentless threat of coastal erosion.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
