Embedded Files
07/30/2025 – The main culprit of the erosion of CNMI coastlines is not waves battering our shores, especially during storms, but development, according to Division of Coastal Resources Management acting director Sam Sablan.
“The conditions of all these beach areas have been eroding for years. And as you can see, we are losing land. The best thing that we can do in addressing these concerns is, we're trying to, we're supposed to stop development,” she told Marianas Press.
Sablan said places on Saipan that are most susceptible to soil erosion include the areas around Laulau Bay, Tank Beach, Micro Beach, 13 Fishermen Monument, and essentially the western side of Saipan facing the Philippine Sea along Beach Road from Garapan to San Jose.
DCRM doesn't encourage development in coastal hazard areas simply because they're eroding.
“It's very hard to control, and we don't recommend hard structures, developments, or nature-based solutions, because, I mean, how do you fight against nature? And these are the challenges that we are facing.”
Sablan said development, such as building resorts near the coastline, specifically affects the health of seagrass and coral habitat in the area, and both are key in protecting the shoreline.
“What we can do is to make sure that developments are minimized, make sure that these natural structures, such as seagrass and corals situated there, are protected, because they help us protect our coastal areas. They serve as barriers. Our seagrass habitats serve as filtering systems that protect our water quality from all this land-based pollution, such as sediment runoff.
Masga, for his part, thanked the Office of the Governor, as Saipan Mayor’s Office, the Division of Parks and Recreation, the National Park Service, and the
Department of Public Works for helping the CNMI’s beaches clean and cleared of sand and other debris brought about by the recent passing storm.
He also explained the phenomenon of sand accumulating on our shores, referencing the occurrence on Micro Beach this weekend, where pavilions and concrete tables, and concrete benches were buried in sand.
“You have different types of storms, depending also on the currents and the wind direction. So, a lot of folks would say that it was so calm on the other side of the island, from Kagman, there are apparently no damages, and so forth. But on the coastline here towards the Philippine Sea, we see a lot of erosion. So, we've had typhoons and storm surges that come in, which have brought in the sand, increasing the real estate for certain areas. But also, other storms have taken out the sand as well, and at times even transferred it to another location.”
Masga also said that once a shoreline is gone, it doesn’t have to be lost forever. Case in point is Mariana Beach Resort, where public-private cooperation made that happen.
“Marianas Beach Resort, they were losing their beachfront property, and with the partnership of [Division of Environmental Quality] and our civil engineers, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers and the hotel management, we managed to protect a portion of their real estate,” he said.
Aside from government agencies, volunteers also did their part in cleaning up Saipan’s coastline in the aftermath of the storm.
Chelsey Reyes, a 2025 DCRM intern, said she and her group have been clearing a portion of Oleai beach from storm debris for the better part of Monday morning.
“For me, this is the first time that I've volunteered with a group to do this, specifically the interns behind me. But I know that when something like a storm happens, I know they're always out in the field doing it.”
Asked why she and her group do what they do, Reyes said, “We get to better our community, and we get to just clean up. You know, the storm was not easy for most of us, especially our beaches, and so we get to give back and help the people who are working and doing this.”
Report by Mark Rabago
Report abuse