Human impact on coastal erosion in Taiwan

Coastal erosion is an islandwide problem in Taiwan. On the basis of the result of the most recent survey, more than 80% of the island's sandy coasts have undergone erosion over the past 3 decades. Naturally and historically with the specific tectonic environment and uplifting rate in Taiwan, sufficient sediments had been yielded and transported to the coastal area, resulting in an advancing shoreline along the trailing edge coast during the last several centuries. However, human interventions have contributed significantly to the erosion in more recent times. In this paper, documented examples are chosen to address how human-induced changes have made profound impacts on the coastal erosion in Taiwan. The information presented will provide a better understanding of the coastal processes, and solutions to the erosion problem for the benefit of others in different parts of the world.