Enhancing India’s Capacity for Green and Resilient Coastal Management: Pathway for a Sustainable Blue Economy

Project Summary:

India has a coastline of 7516.6km touching nine states. The country is densely populated and comprised of some of the world’s fastest-growing regions. As it is essential to preserve the coastline in its finest state, this project has been proposed to support the capacity of line ministries and related State-Level departments for the implementation of NCM, BE, and related initiatives at the state level. The activities in the project aim to enhance and mainstream this knowledge and implementation capacity of the relevant institutions and stakeholders on the principles of resilient and green growth, for sustainably tapping the country’s Blue Economy. Through the creation of an enabling environment and progressive knowledge exchanges with the Korean Counterparts with a special emphasis on marine spatial planning, coastal erosion, and marine litter-related issues, the proposal intends to inform future lending operations in select states within the theme of coastal zone management.

This grant aims to improve national and state-level institutional capacity for resource-efficient and resilient growth through building knowledge, facilitating engagement, and fostering innovation in the management of landscapes, coastal resources, and airsheds. 

List of Activities:

• Establish a platform for collective learning, drawing knowledge from international experiences, particularly Korean knowledge and technology.
• Arrest coastal erosion, establish a system for marine litter management, and develop and adopt holistic Marine Spatial Plans while keeping coastal community livelihoods at the forefront and serving as a lighthouse not only for the entire country, but also at a global level

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• One international conference on Mangroves Management
• At least two workshops to support the implementation of the Blue Economy Framework.
• A Conference proceeding will be prepared. The Activity is marked in the Ops Portal as a “Deliverable" with "DR Not Required”.

Output 2:

• Guidance Note to inform future investments on arresting coastal erosion through NBS
• Toolkits for applying Marine Litter Management approaches and interventions.
• Roadmap Framework for developing and systematically integrating Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)

Outcomes:

Implementation of the first activity will result in: (i) Raising interest and building a knowledge base; (ii) Uplifting the agenda/vision of the Blue Economy Policy in diverse stakeholders; (iii) Promoting no-regret green investments by the private sector to boost the coastal economy; (iv) Promoting integration and coordination of various sectoral initiatives; and (v) Laying the foundation for long-term perspective and collaborative partnerships in the sector. The second activity is leveraged to better manage coastal ecosystems to become resilient, coupled with social-ecological systems assuming greater significance, particularly for enhancing blue natural capital, ensuring ocean health and coastal zone resilience, sustainably tapping the Blue Economy, and increasing the flow of ecosystem services.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)
• Korean Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries (KMOF)
• Korea Marine Environment Management Corp (KOEM)
• National Center for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM)
• National Center for Coastal Research (NCCR)