Residents of Diogue island in southern Senegal are using simple wooden buildings cushioned with coconut tree leaves to reclaim stretches of sandy beach from the Atlantic surges that threaten much of the West African coast.

According to the World Bank, half-submerged tree stumps and decaying abandoned houses demonstrate the impact of the waves – and the increasing destruction of the coastline, where 56 percent of West Africa’s economic activity is created and a third of its population lives.