Conservation

Artificial islands

Construction

Islands can be constructed in two basic ways:

  • By dumping material into shallow water (deposit islands)

  • By excavating around areas of land (remnant islands) and flooding the lowered area.

Some of the materials used to construct these islands are:

Deposit islands

  • Coal slag

  • Heaped peat

  • Heaped estuarine clays

  • Heaped rubble

  • Heaped riverine soils

  • Concrete frame with sand and single on top

  • Shingle

Remnant islands

  • Estuarine clay

  • Freshwater clays

The main materials should typically be local, so costs are minimized and the possible impact of non-native materials is reduced. Heap up the soil with a bulldozer and leave it to settle for a year. Once settled, profile and smooth the islands with a tractor.