Coasts - CitiesWithNature

Coastal community of practice

On this Community of Practice, coastal cities can find access to and engage with all relevant news, tools and resources, guides and forums to share, learn and inspire.

What our community of practice can provide

This community of practice offers coastal cities a space to share resources, experiences and best practices around coastal resilience and adaptation to climate change - including the use of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation, navigating the different type of climate change impacts such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and storm surges, sharing robust scientific tools and resources and discussing best practices of implementing climate change policies.

Coastal cities are where the greatest number of people, very high levels of investment in built infrastructure, and perhaps the most ecological resources are in danger from global climate change.

Why do coastal cities need a community of practice?

Located at the interface between land and sea, coastal cities and communities of all sizes are centers of innovation and economic productivity, concentrating large numbers of people and assets. However, these cities and communities are also at the forefront of climate change, tasked to be the first responders to the shocks and stresses associated with climate change. Rising sea levels, increasing storm intensity, and warmer temperatures place stress on the ecosystems upon which millions along the coasts depend, degrade outdated infrastructure, and upend economic stability.

Tools and resources View more

This community of practice gives coastal cities access to a range of current and relevant tools and resources to empower them to prioritize coastal resilience in their decision-making and planning.

Guidelines for Measuring and Valuing the Coastal Protection Services of Mangroves and Coral Reefs

This guidance note recommends valuation and measurement approaches of the protective services of mangroves and coral reefs to align with national economic accounts and development planning and coastal zone management processes.

Spatial decision tools and web apps to catalyze conservation

The Nature Conservancy-led Coastal Resilience program examines nature’s role in reducing coastal flood risk by using a web mapping tool for adaptation planning.

Opportunities for NDCs

This policy brief examines the inclusion of blue carbon ecosystems in existing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and ratified Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

To enable cities to learn and inspire each other and share their experiences, they need to be connected. This Community of Practice provides a forum with a chat function for cities to share their work and to ask questions and provide input on topics relevant to coastal cities.

Videos View more

Climate change explained

Benefits of climate change adaptation

Three steps of climate change adaptation planning

How nature helps us adapt to climate change - nature-based solutions for climate change

The Paris Agreement - what is it and why is it important?

This Community of Practice is proudly sponsored by WIOMSA with funding from the Government of Sweden.

The Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) was established as a regional, non-profit, membership organization in 1993 and registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania in 1994 as a non-governmental organization. The organization is dedicated to promoting the educational, scientific and technological development of all aspects of marine sciences throughout the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region (consisting of 10 countries: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion (France)), with a view toward sustaining the use and conservation of its marine resources. WIOMSA has a particular interest in linking the knowledge that emerges from research to the management and governance issues that affect marine and coastal ecosystems in the region.

Guides

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Educational games

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