Enhancing Resilience through Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of marine and coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in enhancing climate resilience, particularly in Southern and East Africa. It advocates for the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into national climate policies to protect vulnerable coastlines and livelihoods from sea-level rise and extreme weather events.

• Marine and coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) utilizes biodiversity and ecosystem services to help populations adapt to climate change by managing ecosystems to increase their resilience to climatic stresses. This approach aims to simultaneously address biodiversity conservation, human well-being, and climate adaptation.
• There are three primary practical options for coastal adaptation: 'hard' adaptation using man-made infrastructure (e.g., sea walls), 'soft' adaptation using nature-based solutions (e.g., reef preservation), and 'hybrid' adaptation which combines both. While hard infrastructure can be more effective against extreme physical impacts, it is expensive and can sometimes worsen erosion; conversely, soft EbA is often more cost-effective and provides ecosystem co-benefits.
• Marine and coastal EbA is currently underrepresented in national climate policies. Few Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC explicitly refer to marine and coastal EbA, and many African countries list it only as a future priority rather than a current activity.
• Effective implementation of EbA in Southern and East Africa is hindered by several barriers, including a lack of political prioritisation, insufficient quantitative data for private sector engagement, jurisdictional overlaps between government departments, and limited access to finance.
• Innovative financing is necessary to scale EbA, as public and private adaptation finance is currently insufficient. Examples of promising models include 'blue carbon' payments for ecosystem services (PES), blue bonds, and 'debt-for-nature' schemes, such as the 2017 investment strategy launched by Seychelles to manage a 400,000km2 marine protected area.
• Community participation and co-management are critical for the success of EbA. This includes involving marginalised groups, such as women, who are disproportionately affected by climate change. Examples of successful community-led or partnered models include the Mikoko Pamoja project in Kenya and the work of Blue Ventures in Madagascar.

APA

CHEVALLIER, R. (2019). Enhancing Resilience through Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Policy-Briefing-188-chevallier.pdf

Chicago

CHEVALLIER, ROMY. Enhancing Resilience through Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Policy-Briefing-188-chevallier.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CHEVALLIER |first1=ROMY |title=Enhancing Resilience through Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Policy-Briefing-188-chevallier.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2019enhancing, author = {CHEVALLIER, ROMY}, title = {{Enhancing Resilience through Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Policy-Briefing-188-chevallier.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }