Paradise Divided Over a Seawall

Abstract

Negril is among Jamaica’s most popular tourist destinations. Its many high-end hotels together receive about 20% of all the nation’s tourists. For decades, Negril has maintained the image of a laid-back and natural beach resort (Figure 1). However, it is estimated that up to a meter of its beautiful coastline has disappeared annually since the 1990s. In 2012, the opportunity arose for Jamaica’s government to tackle the coastal erosion problem. Almost 10 million dollars became available through a climate change adaptation fund, to be spent on coastal infrastructure. The funding would be spent on a submerged breakwater that would shield the coastline against incoming wave energy