The dangerous myth of tsunami greenbelts

Clearly, education efforts in Indonesia have been inadequate.

Fig. 2. View looking north-west from the bridge in the village of Lhoknga, Aceh, Indonesia. A. November 2000, B. March 2005. Almost all coastal vegetation was destroyed by the tsunami of December 26, 2004 for up to 4 km inland.

Coastal vegetation provides communities with many valuable goods and services, and the rehabilitation of these ecosystems is, in general, an endeavour we should support. However, if the aim is to protect people from tsunamis, the money would be better spent elsewhere, such as early warning systems and education.

Further, there is no justification for preventing people from returning to the lands they occupied prior to the tsunami. Government enforcement of buffer zones has been inconsistent: large businesses appear immune from regulation while impoverished fishers and traders are evicted from land they have often occupied for centuries, even when their customary tenure is recognised in law.

Governments in the region should provide financial assistance to allow people to return to their land and resume their livelihoods.