Your resort's 'perfect' beach is a lie

White sand or coconut palms? The idea of tropical paradise is manufactured. Resorts around the world are now embracing beaches in their more natural states

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In the sea In tropical and subtropical climates, seaside developers have been replicating the artificial beach since the European seaside-resort model gave way to a tropical one in the middle of the last century. Out with the intricate ecosystems—mangroves, sea grass and shade-giving trees, especially—and in with the version guests expected: an image brought on by a new-found fascination with Polynesian scenery in the wake of World War II, namely those coconut palms and often, the white sand beach itself.

Across the globe, the result has often been devastating for shorelines' defenses against the sea.

"If you have a beach that was once, let's say, mangroves and you clear it out, turn it into sand and plant some coconut palms, you've lost tonnes of structure, really complex, interwoven structure," said Scott F Jones, a coastal ecologist at the University of North Florida. "Your storm surge protection essentially vanishes, and your resilience to sea level rise goes down a whole lot, too."