Luxury homes on one of the Cape's most sought-after stretches of coastline are at risk of caving in as severe weather and sea conditions eat away at dunes compromised by seaside development. Homeowners and authorities in Wilderness Dunes, just outside George, where houses sell for up to R28-million, have had to act quickly in recent weeks to keep the ocean at bay, with some residents spending between R400000 and R500000 on emergency measures.Some gardens collapsed into the ocean last winter, and an emergency meeting between home-owners and authorities agreed that sandbags could be used."We have noticed the erosion becoming worse in recent months and have had to bring in sandbags and implement other emergency measures to safeguard our property," said guesthouse owner Deon Venter.Eden District Municipality environmental specialist Vernon Gibbs-Hall said a dune rehabilitation plan would be formulated.James Brent-Styan of the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs confirmed that the erosion at Wilderness had been brought to the attention of the department in July, and the matter would be dealt with at a national level.The head of the sustainability research unit at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's George Campus, Professor Christo Fabricius, and another homeowner, Dirk Ackerman, said while the temporary solution protected homes, it was also causing other issues."Water flows around the sandbags, causing further erosion on the outer edges of the barrier," Ackerman said.Fabricius said it was imperative to cease "treating the problem as an emergency and look at long-term solutions". The first step was the "retreat of properties" and to stabilise the dunes."A well-vegetated dune is the first line of defence for urban areas against the onslaught of surging waves," he said.In 2006, Buffalo Bay homeowners spent more than R5-million on dune stabilisation to protect their properties. A structure made up of large geo-textile sandbags was constructed along the dune and the coastal vegetation restored to prevent the free movement of sand and erosion...