A credible and complementary alternative

Nature-based Solutions, dune restoration, wetland rehabilitation, seagrass protection, soft shoreline management, offer a different response and, in many cases, an equally effective one. By relying on natural mechanisms for absorbing wave energy, retaining sediment and regulating water flows, they provide dynamic protection capable of adapting over time rather than locking in a situation that is bound to evolve.

Their value extends well beyond protection alone. Nature-based Solutions regenerate ecosystems essential to marine and coastal biodiversity, contribute to carbon sequestration, support local economic activities, small-scale fisheries, sustainable tourism and, over the long term, prove significantly less costly to maintain than equivalent grey infrastructure.

A necessary shift in approach

Adopting Nature-based Solutions across the Mediterranean, however, requires a shift in mindset among decision-makers, engineers, spatial and development planners, and all those involved in shaping coastal governance: embracing more dynamic coastal management, strengthening governance and cross-sectoral coordination, investing in scientific knowledge of local ecosystems, and integrating these approaches from the earliest stages of planning rather than as a one-off response to crisis. It is precisely this transition, from resistance to adaptation, from control to cooperation with natural dynamics, and from fragmented decision-making to integrated coastal governance, that Mediterranean institutions, foremost among them UNEP/MAP, are working to support, alongside governments and coastal communities across the region.

This is why the Mediterranean is coming together this September to place Nature-based Solutions at the centre of the conversation on coastal resilience.