Those who love Kailua Beach — and that would be most people, regardless of where they live — are losing something precious, bit by bit, and need their advocates in government to move quickly to save it.

Erosion of O'ahu's shoreline is a process that demands careful monitoring in a state whose excellent beaches rank among its chief natural assets.

The sandy beach at the southernmost end of Kailua Bay has disappeared, just at the point where a boat ramp descends into water. Not only does the continuing depletion undermine the stability of the ramp, it suggests that the erosion could go northward.

Government officials have been aware of the problem for several years, said Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawai'i geologist who is about a year away from completing a study of shoreline changes all around O'ahu. He started his work in the Kailua-Lanikai area, so he's familiar with radical changes in this beach zone.

Major players in this drama — officials from city parks and state land departments, as well as from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — have met before, he said, but there's been no corrective plan launched yet.

"The problem is you have something that crosses jurisdictions, and nobody has taken leadership and followed it from A to Z," he said.

The absence of leadership is often a key ingredient in how government operates around here, so this observation should come as no surprise.

Many have pointed out the ongoing practice of removing sand from the channel of Ka'elepulu Stream and dumping it along an elevated bank nearby. Shoreline erosion processes are never simple, but it makes sense to examine that artificial human intervention may play a part in the shrinking of the beach immediately to the south.

This is what needs to happen Sept. 18, when a focus group involving all the government agencies is set to meet on the problem.

Even more importantly, the need for follow-through must be addressed. One of the actors in this drama should assume lead-agency status, at least to monitor the critical Kailua situation.

Once the data are complete from the UH shoreline study, oversight of O'ahu's beach changes needs to be handled in a coordinated manner across jurisdictions.

Protecting our island's beaches is crucial to our way of life, and benefits residents and visitors alike.