Promoting Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation

The policy brief advocates for the adoption of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to enhance climate resilience in coastal and island regions. It highlights the protective value of mangroves and coral reefs, notes their current underrepresentation in national climate strategies, and suggests using the 2020 NDC revision cycle to mainstream these nature-based solutions. The author emphasizes the need for quantitative data to build a business case for private investment and highlights innovative financing models like debt-for-nature swaps.

• Marine and coastal ecosystems provide critical climate adaptation benefits, such as mangroves and wetlands acting as barriers against coastal erosion, saline intrusion, and storm surges, while also supporting carbon storage and food supply.
• Global marine ecosystems are facing severe degradation; approximately 50% of reef-building corals and more than 20% of mangroves have been lost over the last 30 years due to anthropogenic and climatic pressures.
• Despite their importance, marine and coastal EbA are largely absent from national climate strategies. A review of 162 NDCs found that only 23 explicitly mentioned EbA, and many national strategies make no explicit mention of these ecosystems.
• Effective EbA requires a combination of approaches, including the designation of marine protected areas (MPAs), coastal retreat, and hybrid solutions like artificial reefs, integrated with broader governance tools like marine spatial planning.
• There is a critical need for more quantitative data and cost-benefit analyses to compare EbA with traditional engineering solutions and to attract private sector investment by demonstrating the business case for nature-based solutions.
• Innovative financing mechanisms are emerging to fund coastal adaptation, such as the Seychelles' 'debt-for-nature' scheme, which is the first Paris Club-supported debt agreement designed for climate adaptation.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2018). Promoting Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Policy-Insights-56.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. Promoting Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Policy-Insights-56.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=Promoting Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Policy-Insights-56.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2018promoting, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{Promoting Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-based Adaptation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Policy-Insights-56.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }