Soft Engineering – Use of the natural environment of a coastline for schemes that work with the sea's natural processes

To remember the meaning of the term Soft Engineering, use the following mnemonic:

The soft engineer (soft engineering) wasn't really that soft - he used stones, sand and other materials as well as plants.

Below are examples of soft engineering on the coast:

Soft engineering is about working with nature to defend coastlines from erosion. It is typically inexpensive, long-term and sustainable.

Hard engineering, on the other hand, means creating artificial structures, which are often considered to be short-term, expensive and unsustainable.