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Caribbean nations can bolster their climate resilience by restoring coastal ecosystems through nature-based solutions. In the Resilient Coasts – Caribbean Sea project, eight countries are collaborating with SEI to foster communities of practice using a “living labs” approach, in partnership with regional actors and local stakeholders. The aim is to boost local capacity and develop viable business cases for these nature-based solutions.
The Caribbean region has been historically hard-hit by hurricanes, with climate change making it increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters. From 1998 to 2020, climate-related events claimed over 312 000 lives and affected about 277 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean. The risks from sea-level rise, flooding, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss and saltwater intrusion are growing, exacerbated by the degradation of crucial coastal ecosystems like mangroves, hard coral and seagrasses which serve as natural defences against these threats.
These ecosystems not only act as natural buffers but also provide essential services such as blue carbon sequestration, coastal erosion mitigation, runoff filtration and prevention of saltwater intrusion that leads to soil degradation. Today, local experts and communities are motivated to rectify past damages and work alongside nature to enhance ecosystem resilience and associated livelihoods.
The new project Resilient Coasts – Caribbean Sea, sponsored by The Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, will utilize a living lab approach to explore how interventions can enhance local livelihoods and identify viable business cases and funding mechanisms for nature-based solutions.
Three interconnected themes will be in focus:
We are very excited about this collaboration with eight countries in the region and the broad focus on resilience for ecosystems and communities
Karina Barquet, Team Leader Water, Coasts and Ocean at SEI and principle investigator for the project.
“There is an enormous knowledge bank locally, and managing agencies in all countries are both aware and committed to safeguarding the environment. However, knowledge and commitment, require financial mechanisms to turn into effective long-term governance structures. Restoration, protection, and environmental stewardship needs to be profitable in terms of net benefits if we are to combat deforestation and other processes jeopardizing critical ecosystems to adapt to climate change. Our ambition is to connect the knowledge – finance – governance dots and together with our partners and local communities bring existing efforts to a level where prioritizing ecosystems is something people benefit from materially and financially, and not only symbolically.” – Barquet continued.
The project includes eight countries: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago. Over the course of two and a half years, local communities, government agencies, research organizations, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations will collaborate on solutions that build on existing efforts and establish a sustainable community of practice.
The partnership recently kicked off with a launch event in Santa Marta, Colombia, where the large Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta wetland could potentially serve as one of two pilot sites. Here, local communities will be involved in the protection of mangrove ecosystems. The pilots may also include “constructed wetlands” that contribute to wastewater treatment and decontamination of water bodies.
Local communities and businesses are crucial to the project’s success, co-creating interventions that preserve ecosystems while generating jobs and incomes. Identifying and overcoming barriers such as regulations, financial constraints or insufficient capacity are part of the continuous dialogue among NGOs, local experts, financial institutions, businesses and decision-makers.
Juan Felipe Lazarus from Colombia’s National Institute for Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR), a project partner, underscores the importance of collaboration. As Head of Research Line Rehabilitation of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, he views the project as an opportunity to enhance knowledge exchange and cooperation, allowing participants to leverage collective experiences and expertise.
He notes, “Together, we can make real progress in the Caribbean region to improve the living conditions of communities and restore nature. At the technical level, being able to learn first-hand about what is done in other places makes it possible to exchange knowledge and assess strategies that have worked elsewhere. We can also learn from other peoples’ mistakes and scale solutions to the regional level in the Caribbean. Ecosystems do not recognize political barriers; natural systems are interconnected.”
The living lab approach facilitates active exploration of plausible alternatives within the specific regional context, while the insights gained are also likely to be highly relevant in other parts of the world.
“The design of this project will give a better understanding of locally-led climate adaptation, including how to finance nature-based solutions. This is relevant to coastal regions in other parts of the world as well. Hopefully the findings can help many communities find better ways to address fast-growing climate risks,” says Arno Rosemarin, Senior Research Fellow at SEI and technical expert in the project.
Project / The Resilient Coasts Caribbean Sea project will develop Living Labs for coastal ecosystem management using nature-based solutions.
Feature / Coastal communities can combat climate threats by safeguarding ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs.
Project / Colombia avanza en conservación con el proyecto GEF Orinoquia de WWF, mejorando la representatividad y conectividad ecológica en la región de la Orinoquia.
Project / SEI analiza impactos del cambio climático en sectores clave de Colombia, enfocándose en desarrollo a 2050, modelación hidrológica y efectos socioeconómicos.
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