Photo attributed to Captain Albert E. Theberge, NOAA Corps (ret.). This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. No endorsement implied.

Abstract

Climate change is already impacting the ability of marine and coastal ecosystems to provide food, income, protection, cultural identity, and recreation to coastal residents, especially vulnerable communities in tropical areas. These impacts will continue and increase over the short to medium term, even as the community of nations works to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. There is an urgent need to develop, implement, and fund ecosystem-based adaptation strategies in coasts and oceans as a central part of the global response to climate change. Coastal and marine ecosystem protection and restoration is the foundation for ecosystem-based adaptation, and strong and specific provisions for the development, implementation and funding coastal and marine ecosystem-based adaptation need be a central part of a Post-2012 Climate Agreement.