Earth Today | Improved coastal management key to climate resilience

AS AN island on the frontline of the climate crisis, it is necessary for Jamaica to leverage nature-based solutions as part of its climate change resilience building efforts.

Nature-based solutions refer to the use of natural ecosystems to address social, economic, and environmental challenges. The use of nature-based solutions offers cost-effective strategies to build resilience and reduce the impact of climate-related hazards.

One example of nature nature-based solution is the use of coastal wetlands such as mangrove forests and seagrass beds (blue carbon ecosystems) for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Mangroves serve as natural barriers that protect our shorelines and communities from flooding and erosion by absorbing storm surges and reducing the impact of high winds and waves.

They also provide critical habitats for fish and other marine life, supporting local fisheries and economies; and play a crucial role in combating climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases which exacerbates the severity of storms.

PROTECTION

Natural ecosystems, including our mangroves, therefore, should be sustainably managed, utilising protection, conservation, and restoration to maintain and enhance their functions.

The Government has embarked on several projects, measures, and activities to leverage nature to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.

More recently, Jamaica became a signatory to the Mangrove Breakthrough, an unprecedented, ambitious multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to unlock $4 billion and drive action to restore, protect and halt mangrove loss globally by 2030.

Locally, the Forest Policy (2017) of Jamaica is supported by a newly developed National Mangrove and Swamp Forests Management Plan (NMSFMP) 2023-2033 to guide the management of forested wetlands. A key goal of the NMSFMP is to implement strategies to conserve at least 30 per cent of Jamaica’s forested wetlands by 2033.

The Government has also drafted a National Ecosystem Restoration Plan 2024-2034 to guide restoration activities and promote the sustainable use of natural resources, including coastal ecosystems.

BALANCE

To improve the protection and management of these coastal wetlands for increased resilience, the development of an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) policy is recommended.

This policy should be designed to improve efficiency in the management of these resources as well as improve the coordination of the roles and responsibilities of management entities.

This will serve as an important document for coordinating the roles and responsibilities of government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and academic institutions.

It is also recommended that Jamaica develops marine spatial plans to regulate human activities such as fishing, mariculture, and tourism in coastal areas and the exclusive economic zone. These spatial plans can be used to guide and inform the ICZM policy.

Internationally, it is best practice to zone marine space for human activities such as maritime transportation, oil and gas development, offshore renewable energy, offshore aquaculture, and waste disposal. However, these spaces are often designated by sectors in silos without collaboration on the potential impact on other sectors and activities or the cumulative impact on the environment.

An environmental offsetting policy or plan can also be developed to balance development with the conservation of coastal wetlands. Environmental offsetting is the use of conservation actions to compensate for the unavoidable, residual damage at the last step of the mitigation.

The mitigation hierarchy of avoidance, minimisation, rehabilitation, and compensation is commonly used to guide the decision-making process. This policy/plan can be used to support the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations to determine the type of offsets or potential avoidance for development projects.

This can be supported by the use of environmental accounting to make fines more stringent and deter environmental damage. It is also recommended that perpetrators should be charged based on their revenue and profit to further deter damage to the environment.

As coastal wetlands are vital to climate change mitigation and adaptation, these ecosystems can foster cross-sectoral coordination. With examples across the region on the importance of coastal wetlands and their role in shoreline protection from storms, the management of coastal wetlands must be improved and leveraged.

Contributed by Dr Kristinia Doughorty, senior policy advisor, The Nature Conservancy, Jamaica Programme.