Ecosystem-Based Adaptation

India's 11,000-km coastline is increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, cyclones, coastal erosion, and saline intrusion caused by climate change. These interconnected threats affect the lives and livelihoods of nearly 250 million people living in coastal areas. Strengthening coastal resilience has therefore become a major policy priority for sustainable development and climate adaptation.

Overreliance on Grey Infrastructure

India's coastal adaptation efforts have traditionally relied on grey infrastructure, including seawalls, groynes, embankments, and tetrapods, to protect vulnerable shorelines. Coastal States have invested substantially in such engineered solutions, while ecosystem-based measures have received comparatively less attention and funding.

Although grey infrastructure provides protection in densely populated and economically important regions, it often involves high construction and maintenance costs and can shift erosion and flood risks to neighbouring areas. Along parts of Kerala's coastline, hard armouring has protected certain stretches while intensifying erosion elsewhere, demonstrating the limitations of purely engineering-based approaches.

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA)

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) refers to the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. It integrates conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of ecosystems into climate adaptation strategies.

India possesses several natural ecosystems that function as effective coastal buffers, including mangroves, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and wetlands. These ecosystems absorb wave energy, reduce shoreline erosion, mitigate storm impacts, and enhance resilience against extreme weather events.

Research has identified India as a global hotspot for coastal EbA, with mangrove ecosystems protecting more people per hectare than in most other countries.

Social, Economic, and Environmental Benefits

The benefits of EbA extend beyond environmental protection and contribute to social and economic development.

During Cyclone Dana, mangrove forests along the Odisha coast reduced the intensity of storm impacts and protected nearby communities. Similarly, in the Sundarbans, more than 18,000 women restored approximately 4,600 hectares of mangroves, strengthening resilience against Cyclones Amphan and Yaas.

These initiatives also generated livelihood opportunities through activities such as honey collection, crab farming, and ecosystem restoration work, demonstrating that EbA simultaneously supports climate resilience, social inclusion, biodiversity conservation, and economic development.

Governance and Policy Challenges

Despite its demonstrated effectiveness, EbA continues to occupy a marginal position within India's broader climate adaptation framework. Fragmented governance structures, weak monitoring mechanisms, and a preference for visible infrastructure projects often limit the recognition of ecosystem-based measures.

Many EbA initiatives are implemented under broader programmes related to conservation, restoration, or rural development, causing their adaptation benefits to remain unrecorded. Consequently, successful ecosystem interventions frequently receive limited attention in adaptation planning, financing, and evaluation processes.

The Challenge of Classification

An important obstacle to mainstreaming EbA is the presence of overlapping concepts such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Ecosystem-based Coastal Adaptation (EbCA), and Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). The absence of clear distinctions among these approaches creates uncertainty regarding what constitutes climate adaptation.

As a result, several ecosystem initiatives are classified primarily as conservation or restoration programmes rather than adaptation measures. The Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) exemplifies this challenge. While the programme significantly enhances climate resilience through large-scale mangrove restoration, it is largely viewed as a restoration initiative instead of an adaptation strategy.

Importance of Recognition and Measurement

Proper recognition and classification of EbA are essential for accurately measuring adaptation outcomes and allocating resources effectively. Clear identification of ecosystem-based interventions enables policymakers to capture their full social, economic, and environmental benefits.

This assumes greater importance as international frameworks, including the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement, increasingly focus on measuring adaptation progress. Without robust monitoring and classification systems, many of India's most effective climate adaptation measures may remain underreported and underfunded.

The Way Forward

India needs to integrate Ecosystem-Based Adaptation into mainstream coastal planning and climate policy while maintaining a balanced approach between natural and engineered solutions. Greater investment in mangrove restoration, wetland conservation, coral reef protection, and seagrass ecosystem management can provide cost-effective and sustainable protection against climate risks.

Strengthening governance mechanisms, developing clear classification frameworks, improving adaptation monitoring systems, and expanding climate finance for ecosystem-based initiatives will be crucial for scaling up EbA across coastal regions.

Conclusion

India's natural ecosystems constitute one of its most effective defences against climate change. While grey infrastructure will continue to play an important role in specific contexts, Ecosystem-Based Adaptation offers a more sustainable, equitable, and economically viable approach to coastal resilience. The central challenge now lies not in proving the effectiveness of EbA, but in ensuring that policy frameworks adequately recognise, measure, finance, and scale these nature-based solutions for long-term climate security and development.