The sand dunes and vegetation help to hold the sand in place when wind or water tries to erode it away. The vegetation prevents erosion because the sand gets trapped in the leaves or the roots of the plant. Sometimes, fences are built around dunes to also try to trap the sand.
A beach has a sand budget. Typically, beaches become more eroded in the winter because of storms. During the summer, more sand is usually deposited on the beach, building the beach back up to its normal state.
The environment can be affected by erosion in several ways. First and the most obvious, houses that are built along the shore are at risk of being washed away if more sand is being removed from the beach in the winter, and not enough sand is returned in the summer. Secondly, animals that live on the beach are at risk for loosing their homes. The amount of sand on the beach, and how it is deposited can also affect the shape of the shoreline, which can have an affect on the type of waves that are produced at the beach. The type of waves produced at the beach will also ultimately have an affect on beach erosion.
