A Catalogue of Nature‑Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience

Overview & Synopsis

Coastal communities are at the frontline of climate risk, facing rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and accelerating erosion that place rapidly growing coastal zones under increasing pressure. These areas—home to approximately 11 percent of the global population—concentrate people, infrastructure, economic activity, and biodiversity-rich ecosystems, making them both engines of growth and zones of heightened vulnerability, particularly where development has degraded natural protective systems. This context underscores the urgent need to integrate nature-based solutions into coastal resilience planning and investment. Global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework recognize nature-based solutions as central to advancing resilience, sustainable development, and biodiversity protection. Beyond risk reduction, these approaches generate economic and social benefits by supporting livelihoods, creating jobs, strengthening food security, and protecting exposed communities. This Catalogue responds to growing demand for practical guidance by synthesizing operational experience to support the design of effective, scalable, and bankable coastal resilience strategies that work with and enhance natural systems.