Coastal protection / hazard mitigation

Otchiva is the name of the NGO dedicated to reclaiming this Angolan Mangrove ecosystem, which has been disappearing at a frightening speed due to the rapid urbanization and huge demand for construction. A study shows that 60% of the loss of Mangroves in the Gulf of Guinea from Liberia to Angola is accredited to fuelwood exploitation for fish smoking, wood for construction, petroleum and gas exploration and exploitation activities along the coast and urban construction activities. In order to address issues of biodiversity loss and deforestation at a rapid rate, Otchiva embarked on a mangrove reforestation program, starting with 2019. The project by Otchiva is being implemented in all provinces of the coast of Angola Fernanda says. The Municipality of Lobito and the Capital of Angola in Luanda are the 2 places where the project already presents results. (2)

Resilient Islands is a project thought and directed by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 3 Caribbean island nations. It is a project at the intersection between conservation and disaster risk reduction and it comprises actions implemented in the Dominican Republic, Granada, and Jamaica. The negative impacts of climate change are already affecting people, homes, businesses and infrastructure in Caribbean nations. In response to increasingly dangerous hurricanes and rising vulnerability, Resilient Islands will address the need for urgent action by developing adaptation toolkits, best-practice models and access to funding. Caribbean nation islands are the world's most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Coastal flooding and erosion caused by hurricanes and severe storms threaten lives, homes, jobs, and infrastructure. Grenville is a coastal town, the second largest town in Grenada, with a population of around 2,400. It is highly susceptible to flooding and has seen increased coastal erosion in recent years due to the degradation of the fringing reefs, its first line of sea defence. Since 2017, TNC and the IFRC have collaborated with governments, communities, and partners in Grenada and Greenville to develop national plans for a more sustainable future through nature-based disaster risk management and there this is how this intervention was born. (1,4)

Around 90% of Guyana’s population lives in an area that is below sea level, with many inhabiting flood-prone areas along the coast. The coastal plains are also home to about 75% of the country’s economic activities, including almost all of Guyana’s agricultural production. Over the years, degradation and loss of mangrove forests have resulted in increased coastal flooding and saltwater inundation of agricultural land. Mangroves contribute substantially to sea defence in Guyana by damping wave action and reducing wave energy, trapping sediments and stabilizing shoreline substrates while playing an important role in carbon sequestration.
The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project was executed during 2010-2013 under the National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute. Following completion of the Project phase and given the importance of mangroves to Guyana’s coastal defences, mangrove restoration and management were integrated into NAREI (the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute), a national institution that promotes climate-smart agriculture and resilient citizens. (1,2)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s coastal zone stretches 40 km and comprises the towns of Muanda, Banana and Nsiamfumu. The problem of coastal erosion has intensified since 1980 with the significant retreat of the coast in the Banana-Muanda segment, this retreat has been estimated as much as 2,300 meters. According to the report of the second national communication on climate change (2010), the Democratic Republic of Congo’s coastal zone, with a coastline of about 40km, is facing coastal erosion due to a combined effect of topography, sandy nature of the soil and ocean dynamics (height and direction of the swell, tide height, current velocity, storms etc.). With the rate of shoreline retreat that is likely, it is expected that the road between Banana-Muanda will be completely lost between 2050 and 2100. The proportion of lands lost to encroaching sea will double (200 m around Nsiamfumu and 100 m between Muanda city and Banana). In total, DRC can expect to see the reach of its coastal zone reduced from 50-100 m by 2100. To respond to some of these complex challenges the Department of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism, Democratic Republic of Congo implemented the present intervention partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). (1,2)

As a result of a ReefFix Project, an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Coral Reef and Mangrove Restoration and Watershed Management Demonstration programme, the Three Bays Marine Protected Area (MPA) and associated Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan have been established in Haiti (Refs. 4, 5 and 7). Only the second MPA to be established in the country, the Three Bays MPA includes the bays of Limonade, Caracol and Ft. Liberté (the administrative capital of the Nord-East department of Haiti), as well as the Lagon aux Boeufs. As summarised by Ref. 8, the establishment of the MPA and ICZM "will help protect the mangroves, eel grass beds, reefs and habitats housing important fisheries that are crucial for providing livelihoods to nearby communities. It will also help protect the area from storm surges and provide local communities with ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, tourism value and more". Additionally, the MPA will afford protection to numerous threatened species, "including sea turtles, whales, manatees and migratory birds" (Ref. 8).

Touted as a long-term solution to flooding of Mandaue City, establishment of a mangrove eco-park has begun, having received funding from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) (Ref. 1). Through establishment of mangroves, the eco-park will "perform a significant role in shoreline protection, acting as a buffer against strong winds and waves", which is considered particularly important in light of the anticipated effects of climate change (Ref. 6).

A total 17-hectare plot is to be rehabilitated, as identified in the Mandaue City Government's Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Ref. 3). At present, it is unclear whether nature-based solutions (including mangrove restoration) are to be implemented across the entire 17ha of the site, but initial efforts have been focused on the restoration of a 5-ha section of mangrove forest (Ref. 2). Due to the lack of data on how exactly the remainder of the 17-ha area will be restored, the total NBS area for this project has only been recorded as 5-ha (5000m2) within this case study, rather than the entire 17,000m2 which is encompassed within the site.

The site is situated at the outfall of the Butuanon River which frequently overtops as a result of heavy rain and has been considered "biologically dead" since 1992 (Ref. 7). The site itself comprises a former dumpsite which had been "left derelict and filled with piles of trash", hence in addition to reducing flood risk, its rehabilitation will serve as green space in which "the residents of Mandaue City [can] gather and enjoy a breath of fresh air" (Ref. 2). The eco-park is considered to bring the added benefit of filtering water as it enters the Mactan Channel, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon dioxide absorption (Refs. 1 & 6).

Climate change has become the day-to-day struggle for this nation - an island nation that faces serious sea-level rise implications should the problem remain uncurbed. The impacts seen are related to rising temperature, sea-level rise (coastal erosion), and changes in rainfall (flooding). To reduce the vulnerability of the population of two regions next to its capital (Victoria), the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Seychelles initiated in 2012 a project aiming at improving the quality of life for the people of Seychelles and restore coastal zones as well as the ecological habitat related to them through nature-based solutions. The project will reduce these vulnerabilities by spearheading ecosystem-based adaptation as climate change risk management—restoring ecosystem functionality, and enhancing ecosystem resilience and sustainable watershed and coastal processes, in order to secure critical water provisioning and flood attenuation. (1)

A multi-purpose green belt (12 km in length of Batticaloa Municipal Corporation coast) was established to protect the lagoon and coastal areas, restore mangrove ecosystems and improve coastal biodiversity. The project comes under activity 1.3 of the overarching project Climate Resilient Action Plans for Coastal Urban Areas in Sri Lanka (CCSL). The project focuses on the most urgent and immediate needs of the Sri Lankan coastal cities in adapting to climate change, and mitigating risks and the severity of impacts through Disaster Risk Management (DRM). The green belt plantation was done with Casuarinas plantation in 400 ha (out of which 75% by Mandru and 25% by the Forest Department), mangrove forest redesigning and protection of the existing vegetation. [1, 2, 6]

In November 2019 the municipality of Hammam Sousse alongside one of the local schools initiated a climate intervention by planting trees next to the banks of the river Oued El Hammam. The municipality of Hammam Sousse is located in the central-eastern part of Tunisia (Sahel region), and as a coastal city, it enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate with a dry summer. The Mediterranean region is ranked among the regions which are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and the intervention focused on implementing solutions to mitigate these effects. (1,2)

The project is part of a bigger initiative aimed at restoring the coastal forest near the city of Mahajanga in western Madagascar. Alongside 2 international NGOs, the community located in the bay next to the city of Mahajanga implemented the intervention with the ultimate goal being to transition the land into a protected area as part of the greater "Mahajanga Green Belt Project". The regrowing forest will form the northwestern end of the greater Mahajanga Green Belt, with the southeast meets the Ankarafantsika National Park. The project also has a gendered aspect as it aimed to employ mostly the women in the suburbs of the city. (1,3)