Lithuania

On Lithuania’s Curonian Spit, shifting sand has buried several villages over the centuries.

When large areas of forest were cut down in the 17th and 18th centuries, much of what had held the sand in place disappeared. Wind took over and dunes began moving across the landscape.

Sand buried fishing villages and eventually threatened the entire area. In the 19th century, people began building barriers and planting vegetation to stop the advancing sand.

The work of keeping the dunes in place continues today.