The state and coastal geologists have prepared a plan to protect sand dunes on Oahu’s Kailua Beach from erosion that scientists predict will occur as global warming causes sea levels to rise. 

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the University of Hawaii’s Sea Grant Program developed the plan. 

It’s one of the first to lay out how Hawaii’s authorities should prepare for and adapt to climate change at a particular location. The state and the Sea Grant program say they hope the policies and measures will be used in management plans for other beaches in the islands. 

The Sea Grant program said in a statement Monday the planners picked Kailua as their first target because the beach and dunes there are large and still intact.