Coastal areas boast the most economically developed areas, but are vulnerable to tsunami and cyclones in the tropics. The best defense against natural disasters is nature itself.  Research indicates that a network of coastal defenses, especially a belt of mangroves, is capable of absorbing 30 to 40% of the total force of a tsunami and its ensuing waves before they wash over inhabited areas onshore. The shelter project includes the establishment of primary coastal forest, mangroves, farmland and littoral wetlands. The information related to the

importance and distribution of coastal shelter belts along the coastal line of India is available on this website.

The wave-induced effects of tsunamis, hurricanes and cyclones lead to death and property loss. These violent storms and tsunamis born at sea strike the coast with wind speeds up to 900 km per hour and create waves with a height of about 10 to 20 meters. Many coastal nations have developed mechanisms to cope with such threats to coastal communities through controls on type, density, and location of settlement. Coastal habitats such as mangroves and other wetlands, coral reefs, coastal barrier islands and lagoons are often recognized by experts as the best defenses against wind, waves and erosion by deflecting and absorbing much of the energy of winds. Creating a shelterbelt of trees and other vegetation along the coast would act as a first line of defense against the effect of frequent cyclonic storms and heavy winds.