Saturday, February 1, 2014
Excerpted from the forthcoming GringoTree Book,
Beachfront Property Buyers Need to Know ...
An
important consideration for those purchasing beachfront property in
Ecuador is beach stability. Ecuador has the highest rate of coastal
erosion in South America and hundreds of residential and commercial
properties have been washed into the ocean in recent decades.
Unfortunately, buyers will hear little about this from developers, real
estate agents and individual property sellers.
A
2010 report to the World Conference on Climate Change in Cancun,
Mexico, showed that while Ecuador's beaches are eroding at an average
rate of two to three meters per decade, some of the country's most
popular beaches are eroding at a much faster rate. Among these are
Atacames, Montañita and Salinas. The Montañita and Salinas areas have
lost more than 300 buildings and seen more than 100 meters of beach
disappear since the mid-1980s.
A
factor contributing to the erosion is the tectnonic subduction of the
Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, just off shore of Ecuador.
The subduction not only means that the coast experiences the country's
strongest earthquakes but that there is constant movement of the sea
floor which, in turn, affects the shoreline.
Not
all beaches in Ecuador are eroding. In fact, many have been stable for
centuries and others have actually grown. Before putting down money on a
lot, house or condominium, however, a buyer is well advised to check
historical and geologic records. Talking to old-timers (who, most
likely, will be locals) in the area isn't a bad idea either.
Excerpted from the forthcoming GringoTree Book, Ecuador Real Estate Buyer's Guide by David Morrill and Deke Castleman.
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