Strategies for governments to help close the coastal adaptation funding gap

Coastal protection refers to measures that seek to reduce damage to coastal land and assets from natural hazards such as erosion and inundation. Coastal population growth and projected climate change impacts will expose more people, land and assets to erosion and inundation increasing demand for coastal protection. Established coastal protection funding approaches, such as general taxation, intergovernmental transfers (grants with no obligation for repayment), and private investment to protect private property are constrained in meeting the funding required for future coastal protection needs in many areas. The coastal adaptation funding gap is the difference between current funding and future demand, a problem for governments that requires the identification of alternative approaches to funding coastal protection.