Sea’ties Regional Report – Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean Region, Challenges and Best Practices
On April 26, 2022, the Sea’ties initiative with the support of the City of Marseille and Plan Bleu hosted online the regional workshop Adapting coastal cities and territories to sea level rise in the Mediterranean region. Second of a series of five (Northern Europe, the United States/West Coast, West Africa, Asia-Pacific), this workshop brought together more than 40 experts and key stakeholders working on adapting coastal cities and territories in the Mediterranean region and provided a forum to share, connect and discuss current practices and common challenges.
Drawing on the returns on experience put forth during preliminary interviews and the workshop, the Sea’ties initiative with the support of the City of Marseille, Plan Bleu and MedECC release the report Adapting Coastal Cities and Territories to Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean Region, Challenges and Best Practices. This report provides an overview of current obstacles and features good practices contributing to the sustainable adaptation of coastal cities and their territories in the region.
Improving collective resilience by enlarging and strengthening territorial cooperation around adaptation
Mediterranean cities have critical enablers to develop ambitious and sustainable adaptation strategies. These include regional governance and cooperation frameworks, innovative networks of cities such as MedCities, and developing knowledge hubs and scientific expertise on coastal management. As priority is often put on socio-economic development while sea level rise is rarely addressed, further coordination between agendas and dedicated instruments are needed. Meanwhile, Mediterranean-wide initiatives that encourage knowledge dissemination and scientific cooperation as the SCORE EU project have the potential to overcome regional discrepancies and enhance collective resilience to climate change. Likewise, the Mediterranean Observatory on Environment and Sustainable Development, the AdriAdapt experience-sharing platform and the MeliMed training programme; all contribute to the uptake of science by decision-makers.
This cooperation across the Mediterranean Basin further complements an integrated local approach, able to account for territorial specificities and to promote more cohesive strategies. Indeed, cities cannot act in isolation as they are interconnected through their environment, institutions, socio-economic activities and infrastructures. This challenge is particularly salient in the case of coastal mobility, illustrated by the managed retreat of the coastal road between Koper and Izola that required active cooperation between the two municipalities. Besides, enlarging the geographical action scale to neighbouring cities and the hinterland is an opportunity to foster territorial solidarity and build capacities. For instance, online platforms such as monlittoral.fr are notably developing to promote knowledge and experience-sharing.
Preparing the transformation of the Mediterranean coastlines over the short, medium and long term
Mediterranean cities, already confronted with rapid erosion, tend to respond reactively and prefer protection-based measures. But emergency responses are not necessarily adapted to long-term issues. The City of Bizerte has notably encountered difficulty deploying emergency responses that align with future risks associated with sea level rise. Therefore, improving the articulation of immediate measures to current threats with long-term adaptation is pivotal, and conceiving adaptation pathways can facilitate this process. In line with this, research, experiences and instruments used in disaster risk reduction and coastal management can create the conditions in the present for future adaptation. For instance, the SAVEMEDCOAST-2 project links research on extreme events and disasters with sea level rise projections to inform urgent and long-term cities’ strategies. Nonetheless, short-term actions need to be thought of as transitional stages toward transformational changes. The case of the barrier beach between Sète and Marseillan highlights how managed retreat and relocations may be inevitable in some instances.
Focus on the tourism sector
Particularly relevant to the region, tourism adaptation entails planning important transformations. Largely based on the appeal of coastal assets, studies predict a substantial drop in tourist visits as beaches shrink. Facilitating the transition of the industry requires promoting more diverse and mobile tourism models. These transformations will be better accepted and more sustainable if inland territories are associated and a variety of stakeholders (e.g. inhabitants, tourists, seasonal workers and businesses, real estate developers) become drivers of this transition. Likewise, this can constitute a key moment for creating environmental and socio-economic opportunities, whereby tourism experiences can be improved and diversified, local particularities and identities are acknowledged and preserved.
Click the link below to read the full report.
