South Asia’s coastal regions, home to over 250 million people, are among the most climate-vulnerable in the world. Rising sea levels, intensifying cyclones, coastal erosion, and salinity intrusion, threaten livelihoods, food security, and economic stability, particularly for marginalised communities with limited adaptive capacities. Conventional adaptation strategies often prioritise infrastructure over ecosystems, failing to address the root causes of these vulnerabilities. 

In her Policy Brief, Dr. Chime Youdon advocates for an integrated human and ecological security framework to enhance coastal resilience in South Asia. By linking human security, addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, with ecological security, ensuring the health of coastal ecosystems, this approach combines climate adaptation, nature-based solutions (NbS), and sustainable development. Drawing on case studies, the Policy Brief highlights the critical role of ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrasses in disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation, and livelihood support. It emphasises the need for region-specific, community-driven solutions and calls for scaling up NbS, strengthening regional collaboration, and embedding ecological security into national policies to build long-term resilience.

This Policy Brief is published as part of IPCS’ ongoing, multi-year project collaboration with the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands on the security implications of climate change in Southern Asia.