Coastal Risk Management Programme

Coastal Risk Management Programme
Name	Coastal Risk Management Programme
Established	1990s
Type	Risk reduction program
Region	Global coastal regions
Partners	Multilateral development banks; United Nations agencies; national agencies

Coastal Risk Management Programme

The Coastal Risk Management Programme addresses hazards to coastlines posed by sea level rise, storm surge, tsunami, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion across deltas, estuaries and archipelagos. It synthesizes approaches from disaster risk reduction, integrated coastal zone management, climate adaptation and ecosystem-based adaptation to inform planning, engineering and policy in vulnerable regions like the Ganges Delta, Mekong Delta, Nile Delta, California coast and the Bay of Bengal. The Programme partners with multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Environment Programme to integrate technical, social and financial measures.

Overview

The Programme combines knowledge from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and regional bodies like ASEAN and the African Union to reduce exposure in coastal cities including Mumbai, Jakarta, New Orleans, Lagos and Manila. It draws on engineering precedents from Delta Works, Thames Barrier, Venice Lagoon Project and Room for the River to balance structural defenses with nature-based solutions such as mangrove restoration, seagrass rehabilitation and wetland conservation. The Programme aligns with international frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paris Agreement, and Sustainable Development Goals.

Objectives and Scope

Primary objectives include enhancing resilience in mega-deltas, safeguarding critical infrastructure like ports (e.g., Port of Rotterdam, Port of Singapore), protecting cultural heritage sites such as Venice, Alexandria, and improving livelihoods in fishing communities along coastlines like Senegal and Peru. The scope spans hazard mapping, early warning systems linked to agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, India Meteorological Department and Japan Meteorological Agency, and capacity building through institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, IIT Madras and regional training centers. It targets integration across sectors represented by bodies such as World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Labour Organization.

Program Components and Activities

Key components are coastal hazard assessment, risk modelling, ecosystem restoration, engineered defenses, community-based adaptation and policy reform. Activities include bathymetric and topographic surveys using technologies from European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Copernicus Programme and Landsat satellites; hydrodynamic modelling with tools like Delft3D and ADCIRC; and socioeconomic vulnerability assessments referencing datasets from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Bank Open Data and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Workforce development is conducted in collaboration with universities, technical institutes and nongovernmental organizations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and Wetlands International.

Implementation and Governance

Implementation typically follows multistage processes coordinated by executing agencies (e.g., national ministries and city authorities) with oversight by financing partners like the International Finance Corporation and the Green Climate Fund. Governance mechanisms involve stakeholder engagement with municipal councils in places like Rotterdam, national legislatures including Parliament of India or Australian Parliament, indigenous groups such as the Bajau and Polynesian communities, and private operators including Maersk and APM Terminals. Regulatory integration references instruments such as national coastal zone management acts, port regulations, and regional agreements like the Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes arrangements.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources encompass multilateral loans and grants from World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, climate finance from the Green Climate Fund and philanthropic support from foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Partnerships extend to research consortia (e.g., Global Water Partnership), industry actors in insurance such as Munich Re and Swiss Re, and professional societies like the American Society of Civil Engineers and International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research. Public–private partnerships have been used for projects at locations such as King Abdullah Economic City and Abu Dhabi waterfront developments.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Outcomes

Monitoring relies on indicators drawn from Sustainable Development Goal 13, disaster loss databases like EM-DAT, remote-sensing time series from Sentinel missions, and coastal observatories such as the National Oceanography Centre and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Evaluation frameworks adopt methods from randomized controlled trials where feasible, cost–benefit analysis used by OECD, and multicriteria analysis applied by UNEP. Reported outcomes include reduced exposure in pilot cities, increased area of restored mangroves (as seen in Bangladesh and Philippines), improved early warning lead times in Pacific Islands and infrastructure upgrades at ports including Chittagong and Buenaventura.

Case Studies and Regional Applications

Representative case studies involve delta resilience programs in the Mekong Delta with technical support from ADB and Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies; nature-based protection in Bangladesh leveraging ICDDR,B and local NGOs; urban coastal defenses in New York City post-Hurricane Sandy involving agencies like USACE and planners from HUD; restoration of oyster reefs in Chesapeake Bay led by Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and island resilience initiatives in Maldives with assistance from Asian Development Bank and UNDP. Regional applications include integrated planning for the Caribbean Community and disaster risk financing pilots in the Pacific Islands Forum.

Category:Coastal management