Communities living within coastal areas face multiple hazards in the form of coastal erosion, salinity ingress, floods and storms and sea level rise. Being too close to the sea, water found in the aquifers near coastlines are most of the times too salty for consumption. Healthy coastal wetlands can significantly contribute to livelihood resilience of coastal communities by providing a buffer against extreme events, preventing coastal erosion, enhancing the availability of freshwater, and sustaining diverse fisheries resources. Most of the times, resilience building efforts take into account hard-infrastructure options, and do not factor in the role of coastal ecosystems as wetlands.
Our work on coastal resilience builds on an integrated risk management approach, combining elements of community managed Disaster Risk Reduction, ecosystem management, sustainable livelihoods, and Climate Change Adaptation. Securing functioning of coastal wetlands within the framework of integrated coastal zone management forms the central plank of our interventions.