Claiming land and wealth from the sea: the rise of 'prestige reclamations’

Image caption: An aerial view of ‘The Pearl’, Doha, Qatar. The Pearl was built to resemble a string of pearls, named after the historic pearl industry on these shores.

PML’s Dr Dhritiraj Sengupta, Physical Geographer and Earth Observation Scientist, has led a new study, titled ‘Pride and prejudice of the anthropocene coasts’.  

It explores a different style of land reclamation that has emerged over the past 25 years, which the authors coin ‘Prestige reclamation’. This new style of land reclamation aims to build wealth from high-end property investment, recreation and tourism, with statement (and often symbolic) designs visible from space. 

With more than 1 billion of the world’s population living within 10 km of the shoreline, coastlines are some of the most highly populated and sought-after areas in the world. These congested coasts contribute vast amounts of wealth to the global economy, supporting both light and heavy industries, agriculture, fishing, raw material extraction, tourism and recreation. Additionally, international seaports also act as export and import trading hubs. 

But what happens when demand exceeds supply? Lead author, PML’s Dr Dhritiraj Sengupta explains: 

“Coastal land reclamation – the process of filling-in or enclosing and draining areas of shallow sea or intertidal zones to create artificial land – is not a new practice, with examples in the Netherlands, UK and India dating back to the ninth century.” 

“But what is new,” he explains, “are the statement designs – typically symbols – found in what we term ‘Prestige reclamations’. These elaborate designs can be fully appreciated through a bird’s eye view, sending a message into space.”

Image caption: Prestige reclamations from across the world. Top left: the Pearl, Doha, Qatar [pictured earlier in this article] (NASA, 2018); top right: Ocean Flower Hainan, China. Middle row, left to right (all China): Ying Yang Island, Grape Island, Conch Island and Pisces Island. Bottom Left: the World, Dubai, UAE. Bottom right: Durrat al Bahrain, Bahrain. (Image credit-Google Earth, Maxar). 

The study also highlights some of the regional mythological and philosophical figures that can be found among some of the newer prestige reclamations. For instance, a reclamation planned for Jakarta, Indonesia has been inspired by the Garuda, a giant mythological bird which also features on the national emblem, tourism industry and national airline logos. 

This study originated from a conversation among the authors when Dr. Sengupta was researching seaports in geography at Southampton University. Co-authors include Dr. Dominique Townsend (Technical University of Denmark), Dr. Sally Brown (Visitor – School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton), Professor Ivan D. Haigh, and Dr. Ian Townend (National Oceanography Centre). 

Prestige reclamations are astronomically expensive both to construct and maintain, and so maximising profitability of the investment is essential. Costs can mount into the billions, for example the Dubai Palm Jumeirah reclamation cost more than $12 billion to complete. 

Image caption: View of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai from a plane, which depicts a palm tree with 16 fronds, surrounded by a circle. The total cost of this reclamation was more than $12 billion, and approximately 7 million tons of rock and 100 million cubic meters of sand were used in construction. It may be one of the oldest ’prestige reclamations’; completed in 2003. Authors say, ’Palms not only have huge economic significance as the main cropping fruit in the region but also represent an ability to thrive in the desert. There is currently one more palm design construction underway in Dubai.’

Image caption: The Dubai coastline is also home to the notable ‘The World Islands’, an iconic construction consisting of over 300 islands grouped into the seven continents, resembling the globe. Authors say, ’In contrast to the locally inspired [Palm Jumeirah], the world represents not only the power of globalisation, but sets Dubai as the stage of an international hub welcoming wealthy internationals to come and ‘buy’ their own country’. 

Dr Sengupta describes how these high financial demands are met: 

“Revenue-generating opportunities such as luxury resorts, yacht and pleasure craft marinas, adventure parks, shopping centers and restaurants… these all support in creating a desirable destination, but, research shows the majority of the revenue is actually created through real estate sales and investment, aiming at income generation such as through tourism for the rich or super rich.” 

“And, revenue is another motivation for producing such elaborate designs; the more intricate a prestige reclamation is, the higher perimeter (waterfront) to area (development) ratio, with higher revenue generated in a heavier waterfront to development ratio, commodifying the ‘bluescapes’ around them.” 

Whilst land reclamation can offer solutions to urban expansion and has been shown to draw significant wealth to regions, the collective impact of these developments is still not fully understood. 

A clear – and perhaps obvious – impact, is the disruption and displacement of marine environments. Irreplaceable marine habitat loss occurs underneath the immediate footprint of reclamations, but also within the wider area in the wake of construction activities, through reducing or degrading habitats which are important feeding grounds. 

Authors state that coral reefs, the ‘rainforests of the sea’ are particularly vulnerable. In some cases of land reclamation, these vibrant ecosystems, home to a myriad of marine life, have been buried under tons of sand and concrete, disrupting the natural balance and leading to the decline of numerous species. 

In addition, through the new land, new stressors will be introduced to the marine habitats, such as light and noise pollution, and pollutants from surface run-off, which authors state ‘deserve more attention’. 

Dr Sengupta commented: 

“We stand at a crucial point in time to study these prestige reclamations. With rising sea levels – is it ‘climate-smart’ to be investing in low lying artificial land?” 

“More importantly, the global biodiversity crisis is one of the most pressing issues faced by our generation. We need to be making the right decisions for our planet, informed by science.” 

“This topic demands further attention and global collaboration to collectively study impact and provide alternatives to the growing demand of coastal land.” 

Read the full paper on Science Direct: Pride and prejudice of the anthropocene coasts >>