Beach-replenishment projects such as one the state is planning later this year in Waikiki may offer the best hope the Islands have to stave off the effects of erosion and rising sea levels, which are causing shorefront property to disappear at alarming rates.

As much as 25 percent of sandy beach land on O'ahu and Maui has been lost in the past 50 years, according to University of Hawai'i scientists who compared old and new aerial photos and maps of waterfront property. The erosion is continuing in many places across the state at a rate of between 6 inches and 12 inches a year. More