Gilbert destroyed the "barrier" reef that once protected Negril and her beaches. So there was problem #1. Problem #2 was construction....back in the day I could walk Long Bay...a little bar or restaurant, then bush and narrow beach for a long while, next a little hotel or guest house...then beach and bush for a long while...etc.

Folks have built too close to the shoreline and/or ripped out the native plants that actually HOLD the beach in place on shore - and rip out the seagrass in the water so that the tourists can wade more comfortably. With the strip of beach already unprotected due to the destruction of the barrier this already vulnerable strip of sand has no chance.

We were boating along the south coast yesterday and I took notice of some of the building up on Parottee Beach. One guy basically is asking for it - his building sits RIGHT on the shore, void of any trees around it. His neighbor though built back, did clear a nice beach for himself but was PLANTING around it - good for him. Hey, he wants to KEEP his beach.

In California we struggle with erosion issues all the time - ice plants were all the rage until they started taking over and killing the native plants (there is now a project going on to remove all the ice plants).

In passing I saw that the controversial jetty project is underway (or it looks as though...in the sea right near the Issa's villa on the beach...). Makes me sad for many reasons I won't get into here. The problem can be fixed with proper planting, allowing some sea grass to grow back...taking the beach back to a a more natural state. Well, maybe not "fixed" but improved.

Mother Nature can be a toughie in any event - jetties, planting - whatever conservation measures are taken can be compromised with one big storm.