More than 600 million people live in vulnerable low-lying coastal areas. Intense storms, high tides, and flooding exacerbated by climate change and sea level rise threaten their lives, livelihoods, and property.
Children at Yelu village, Misoo, Indonesia.
Photo: Nugroho Arif Prabowo/IOP YKAN Indonesia
The Nature Protects People Project People Project is a three-year USAID-funded initiative implemented by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Indonesia (with YKAN), Micronesia, and the Carribean, where >50% of the populations live in vulnerable coastal areas. The project aims to build the capacity of disaster risk reduction (DRR) planners and communities to incorporate climate change adaptation into coastal resource planning and management. DRR planners and other project beneficiaries will learn how to integrate nature-based solutions into community resilience planning and implement relevant risk-reduction activities. Examples of nature-based solutions may include rehabilitating mangroves and reef ecosystems to buffer the effects of strong winds and waves, or restoring coastal hydrology in support of natural regeneration, subsequently improving resilience.
Women engaged in community participatory planning; Chuuj, FSM.
Photo: B. Gorong/TNC Micronesia
Products developed for the project will have global application. This includes the “Blue Guide,” which is a compendium of guidance and tools on using nature-based solutions to reduce climate risks along coastal areas. The Blue Guide will be available on an online knowledge sharing platform where visitors will access scientific guidance, videos, and a larger suite of tools that promote use of nature-based solutions. A mobile app also will be developed to ensure those living in coastal communities have access to relevant information. These knowledge sharing products will be developed and promoted between October 2019 and October 2022 in partnership with humanitarian organizations, such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, and community groups.
Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) is a non-profit organization and the Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s affiliate with a mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. After nearly 30 years of building a presence in Indonesia, in 2020 the TNC Indonesia Program transitioned its in-country operations to YKAN to strengthen national ownership of our work and accelerate our conservation mission.
Students planting mangrove seedlings in Telescope Bay, Grenada as part of a community-based initiative to improve coastal resilience.
Photo: TR Coms/TNC
“This information is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for Intenational Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of The Nature Conservancy and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.”