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The report identifies that a significant majority of vulnerabilities in post-tsunami Sri Lanka and Indonesia emerged during the recovery phase, often driven by aid delivery. Through a meta-analysis of 382 documents, the authors find that displaced people, women, and children are among the most vulnerable groups. The study argues that a lack of long-term planning, undifferentiated aid, and a competitive rather than cooperative aid environment have deepened dependencies and fueled community conflicts. It concludes that a shift toward social learning and people-centred, vulnerability-based assessments is necessary to build genuine resilience in coastal communities.

The report advocates for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to move beyond focusing on single ecosystem services toward a systematic approach that considers multiple services in all development operations. It highlights how overlooking regulating services—such as storm protection and water purification—can lead to adverse trade-offs and undermine poverty reduction. The document provides a portfolio of tools for identifying, prioritizing, and valuing ecosystem services, and suggests policy options including payments for ecosystem services, regulation, and community empowerment to sustain natural capital.

The document details various German-led research initiatives focused on the intersection of climate change and water. It covers regional climate modeling for Germany, the impact of extreme weather on biogeochemical cycles, global water scarcity, and specific case studies such as the GLOWA projects in the Elbe and Jordan River basins. Additionally, it discusses aquatic ecosystem vulnerabilities through the AQUASHIFT program and proposes a risk-management approach for coastal flood protection in Hamburg.

This report by the World Resources Institute establishes a tiered methodology to estimate the economic value of coral reefs in the Caribbean, focusing on three key services: tourism and recreation, fisheries, and shoreline protection. Applying this tool to Tobago and St. Lucia, the study finds that coral reef-associated tourism provides the highest economic impact, contributing approximately 15% of GDP in Tobago and 11% in St. Lucia. Shoreline protection is also highly valued, with annual potentially avoided damages estimated between US$18–33 million for Tobago and US$28–50 million for St. Lucia. While reef-associated fisheries have a smaller direct financial impact, they provide critical social safety nets and cultural value. The report argues that quantifying these benefits is essential for informed coastal management and policy decisions, particularly in the face of threats from overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

The report examines the gap between high compliance in fish processing plants and low compliance in harvesting and pre-processing stages in Pakistan. While market pressures drive processors to adopt HACCP standards to maintain EU exports, the harvesting stage suffers from systemic degradation, over-fishing, and a cycle of indebtedness among fisherfolk. The document argues that institutional failure and the perception of fisheries as an open-access resource have led to the use of destructive fishing gear and the depletion of stocks, necessitating a sustainable fisheries policy that integrates ecosystem management with the economic uplift of coastal communities.

The report examines the legal, ecological, and social frameworks for coastal management in Estonia, with a detailed focus on Saaremaa and Ruhnu. It establishes a zoning methodology based on international guidelines (HELCOM, VASAB 2010) to balance public access and private interests. The text analyzes coastal erosion and dynamics, particularly on the Harilaid peninsula, and compares Estonian planning with the more restrictive private ownership models in Finland and Sweden. A specific case study on Ruhnu island uses historical maps from 1688 and 1871 to track land-use changes and surveys Swedish landowners to assess their views on the island's future.

The Reefs at Risk Caribbean project workshop focused on improving a threat assessment model for coral reefs using proxy indicators. Key discussions centered on refining data for coastal development, watershed-based pollution, overfishing, and coral bleaching. Participants recommended incorporating higher-resolution data, adjusting population density metrics for fishing pressure, and treating coral bleaching and disease as separate analysis layers rather than integrated threat model components. The workshop also addressed the need for better mapping of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the economic valuation of reefs.

The document reviews the IAI's progress since 1995, noting an increase in member countries and the implementation of collaborative research programs. It identifies a critical dependency on US government funding via NSF grants and outlines a strategy to diversify financial sources, increase participation from new member countries, and enhance regional capacity building through targeted scientific projects and training.

The report outlines eight key action items to protect marine and coastal biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity, focusing on integrated management, protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and the mitigation of global threats like climate change and pollution.

The document identifies the diverse sensitive aquatic habitats of the Gulf of Aqaba and argues that effective protection requires managing all human uses in surrounding marine and terrestrial environments to avoid the degradation seen in previous marine protected areas (MPAs). It outlines an approach covering habitat description, threat assessment, legislative mechanisms, site selection for MPAs, and implementation tools.

The case study describes how Cartagena de Indias has insulated its climate change agenda from political instability through the creation of interinstitutional structures, the integration of adaptation guidelines into municipal planning, and the involvement of diverse public, private, and academic stakeholders.

This policy brief from the Climate and Development Knowledge Network argues that climate change adaptation in the Caribbean is fundamentally a governance challenge requiring a multi-level approach. It advocates for the creation of networks and hybrid partnerships between state and non-state actors to bridge jurisdictional scales and sectors, using case studies from St. Lucia and Jamaica to illustrate how community-based organizations and public-private partnerships can enhance adaptive capacity.

The document identifies the Belizean tourism industry as highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly due to its reliance on coastal and reef assets. It proposes a comprehensive set of technical, managerial, policy, and educational adaptation strategies, emphasizing the need to mainstream these options into national frameworks like the National Climate Change Policy and Integrated Coastal Zone Management to ensure long-term economic robustness.

The case study evaluates the PRECIS Regional Climate Model (RCM) and Tropical Storm Model (TSM) to project wind climate trends in Barbados. While the RCM showed some biases in baseline simulations, projections from the aenwh-driven model suggest small increases in mean wind speed and a higher frequency of days exceeding 8 ms-1 by the 2080s. The TSM 'what if' scenarios indicated that Hurricane Katrina would cause the most damage due to the longest persistence of maximum wind speeds. These findings highlight risks to coastal infrastructure, utility plants, and port operations, suggesting a need for updated building codes, extended setback limits, and the restoration of natural buffers like reefs and mangroves.

The document details the process and disputes surrounding the extension of the Tormin Mineral Sands Mine. It includes a Background Information Document and an Executive Summary of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared by SRK Consulting for Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd (MSR), outlining plans to mine ten beaches and an inland strandline. It also contains a detailed appeal by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), which argues that the extension is an unlawful circumvention of mining right applications, fails to adequately protect Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs), and relies on unproven rehabilitation success. Additionally, the CER's correspondence alleges multiple environmental violations by MSR, including unauthorised road construction and sea dumping, and requests the cancellation of the mine's existing rights.

Public adaptation finance grew by at least 12% to $25 billion between 2012 and 2013, though it remains insufficient for a warming trajectory exceeding 2 °C. Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) were the primary source of funding, with low-cost loans accounting for 52% ($12.9 billion) of total finance and grants representing 16% ($3.9 billion). Approximately 90% of captured adaptation finance ($22 billion) was invested in non-OECD developing countries, with the East Asia and Pacific region being the primary destination for total and DFI financing, while Sub-Saharan Africa received the most funding from governments and Climate Funds.

The Climate Smart Shrimp Fund (CSSF) is a financial mechanism designed to help shrimp farmers increase production efficiency and climate resilience while restoring mangrove ecosystems. The fund consists of a technical assistance facility for training and certification and a revolving debt facility for infrastructure upgrades. Following pilot programs in Indonesia, Ecuador, and the Philippines, the fund seeks various forms of capital, including grants and equity, to scale its operations.

International public adaptation finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) averaged just over $2 billion annually in 2021–2022, representing only 0.2% of global climate finance. This is significantly below the estimated annual need of $11.7 billion required between 2023 and 2035. The report highlights a critical reliance on debt, which accounted for 44% of flows, and a lack of correlation between finance volumes and climate vulnerability. It advocates for replacing ODA eligibility criteria with a multidimensional vulnerability index to improve access to concessional funding.

The guide outlines the technical requirements for GCF projects focusing on ecosystems and ecosystem services under the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines ecosystem services, explains the role of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in enhancing climate resilience, and advocates for natural capital accounting to shift investment paradigms. The document provides a framework for measuring impact through specific indicators and offers a matrix of eligible and ineligible activities to ensure projects maintain low environmental and social risk.

The ocean and coastal ecosystems are critical for global biodiversity, food security, and carbon sequestration, but they face severe threats from climate change and pollution. Despite an estimated annual funding need of USD 175 billion to USD 459 billion to safeguard the ocean, only USD 11 billion has been invested via philanthropy and Official Development Assistance over the last decade. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims to close this gap by creating enabling environments, catalysing innovation, de-risking projects to mobilise private finance, and strengthening national financial institutions through tools like blue bonds and debt swaps. Current GCF initiatives include the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, targeting 17 countries with a USD 500 million project value, and the Blue Action Fund, focusing on coastal resilience in the Western Indian Ocean region.