Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change in Coastal Cities

The paper examines nature-based solutions (NbS) in coastal cities across India, South Africa, Seychelles, and Tanzania, highlighting how integrating traditional knowledge and community empowerment can enhance urban resilience. It argues that for NbS to be effective in the Global South, they must be aligned with broader development agendas to address socio-economic inequalities and generate green jobs.

• Nature-based solutions (NbS) in the Global South can be enhanced by integrating diverse knowledge sources, including traditional ecological knowledge and community-based regenerative practices, to create more resilient socio-ecological systems.
• In Panaji, Goa, NbS initiatives include the rehabilitation of St Inez Creek through citizen-led restoration and the creation of People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) to document traditional knowledge of biological resources under the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
• The Msimbazi Opportunity Plan (MOP) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, employs a long-term strategy to 2050 focusing on flood attenuation and ecological restoration through reforestation, river channel widening, and the creation of a city park.
• eThekwini, South Africa, has implemented Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) through the Municipal Climate Protection Programme (MCPP), utilizing community-based approaches like 'eco-champs' for river rehabilitation and focusing on societal co-benefits to address apartheid-era inequalities.
• Seychelles utilizes a variety of NbS projects, such as the EbA South and Ridge to Reef initiatives, which range from mangrove restoration at Anse Royale to the establishment of temporal protected areas for mobile marine vertebrates like turtles and whale sharks.
• To be effective and just, urban NbS must transition from simple local participation to local empowerment and ownership, aligning environmental goals with the larger development agenda to create green jobs in sectors like reforestation and river monitoring.

APA

GAJJAR, S. (2020). Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change in Coastal Cities. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Occasional-Paper-308-gajjar.pdf

Chicago

GAJJAR, SUMETEE. Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change in Coastal Cities. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Occasional-Paper-308-gajjar.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=GAJJAR |first1=SUMETEE |title=Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change in Coastal Cities |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Occasional-Paper-308-gajjar.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gajjar2020naturebased, author = {GAJJAR, SUMETEE}, title = {{Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change in Coastal Cities}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Occasional-Paper-308-gajjar.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }