Nature based coastal resilience has become a pressing focus due to rising sea levels, warming oceans, and extreme weather events.
With nearly 40% of the global population living along coastlines, nature based coastal resilience has become an urgent focus in the face of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and warming oceans. These regions, which support both economic giants and smaller, resource-dependent communities, are critical to global commerce, with around 80% of world trade passing through seaports. Yet as climate threats mount, coastal areas require extensive, targeted investments to safeguard their communities, ecosystems, and economies.
Coastal regions contribute approximately 60% to 70% of the world’s GDP, marking the economic significance of reinforcing these areas against climate impacts. Hurricanes and storms like Beryl, Helene, and Milton have highlighted vulnerabilities in the Caribbean and United States Gulf Coast. At the same time, the tragic losses caused by Storm Daniel in Libya emphasized the need for swift action. Small island nations like the Maldives and cities such as Miami, facing rising seas, are now grappling with increasingly frequent and intense climate impacts, bringing attention to the unique needs of these highly exposed communities.
The compounded effects of sea-level rise, habitat degradation, and pollution continue to weaken coastal and marine ecosystems that are critical for local economies and biodiversity. In small island developing states, where life depends on the ocean for food, tourism, and natural defenses, there is an urgent call for a comprehensive strategy for nature based coastal resilience to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
See also: The EU Nature Restoration Law.
Amid rising risks, international organizations are accelerating efforts into projects to protect coastal areas and restore vital ecosystems. COP16, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, is pursuing the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework‘s goal of preserving 30% of land and ocean areas by 2030, while the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan will focus on mobilizing financial resources to support climate adaptation. Next year’s UN Ocean Conference and the Blue Economy and Finance Forum will further unite stakeholders, potentially driving investment in nature-based coastal resilience strategies and advancing global cooperation for coastal and marine protection.
The financial sector has also begun to respond, with an estimated $1 trillion in green, social, and sustainability-linked bonds issued in 2023. These funds reflect investors’ increasing focus on nature based coastal resilience projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but they fall short of the estimated annual funding needed to protect at-risk coastal communities effectively. Financing directed toward nature based coastal resilience strategies, such as mangrove restoration and coral reef protection, remains critically underfunded despite its proven role in enhancing climate resilience and supporting biodiversity.
Cross-sector partnerships have emerged as a crucial mechanism for addressing the nature based coastal resilience funding gap. The Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) is one such initiative, working to mobilize financing for ocean resilience by creating tools to help financial institutions, including banks and insurers, evaluate the value of natural assets. ORRAA collaborates with local leaders, including women entrepreneurs, to foster sustainable, community-based solutions that strengthen both ecological and economic resilience.
Effective resilience measures must incorporate local knowledge and ensure that the needs of communities, particularly indigenous populations, are respected. Coastal regions like Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands and Fiji’s coral-rich ecosystems benefit significantly from local involvement, which enhances conservation outcomes and ensures equitable resource allocation.
Community engagement in designing nature based coastal resilience strategies, such as mangrove and seagrass restoration projects, has proven essential to strengthening coastal defenses against storms and erosion. Indigenous practices in coastal areas often prioritize ecosystem protection, balancing human use with biodiversity needs—a practice that policymakers are increasingly incorporating into regional adaptation frameworks.
Across the globe, nature based coastal resilience strategies have shown remarkable success. In the Philippines, the restoration of mangrove forests not only protects coastal areas from storm surges but also supports fisheries that sustain local economies. Similarly, coral reef restoration in Belize has bolstered biodiversity while enhancing the natural defenses against erosion and wave energy, benefiting both tourism and fishing industries.
In Kenya’s Kwale County, the Mikoko Pamoja initiative is an innovative example of mangrove conservation through community-led carbon offset projects. By restoring and protecting mangroves, the initiative provides direct economic benefits to local communities, helping them gain income through carbon credits while also safeguarding the coastline from climate impacts. These examples underscore the potential of nature based coastal resilience strategies in mitigating climate threats and supporting economic stability.
Achieving meaningful coastal resilience will require a concerted effort from both public and private sectors, and innovative financial mechanisms are critical to generating the capital required. ORRAA’s collaboration with the Development Guarantee Group highlights the potential of financial products designed to mitigate risks in blue economy investments, which include sectors tied to ocean conservation and sustainable resource management. This initiative, among others, provides risk-reduction tools to encourage private-sector investment in climate resilience, allowing coastal communities to benefit from sustainable development in blue economy sectors.
Upcoming events, such as the UN Ocean Conference in France and the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, present opportunities to galvanize commitments and secure large-scale financing for nature based coastal resilience. These forums will bring together business leaders, policymakers, and community representatives to address both the risks and opportunities facing coastal regions. As new alliances and funding avenues take shape, the goal is to implement a unified approach that supports vulnerable coastal communities and fortifies global resilience against climate change.
Coordinated actions by governments, financial institutions, and community leaders will be crucial to meeting the challenges posed by climate impacts on coastlines. By investing in nature based coastal resilience strategies and ecosystem restoration, stakeholders can secure a sustainable future for coastal regions and the economies that rely on them. Realizing this vision will require transparent, measurable outcomes and ongoing collaboration among all involved parties.
In the face of intensifying climate threats, the path forward will demand both urgency and foresight. With focused investments and community-driven initiatives, the international community can protect the ecosystems and communities that underpin coastal economies, ultimately contributing to global climate resilience.