Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations

Publication details

Citation (APA)

Gill, D., D’Agata, S., Blythe, J., Claudet, J., Ban, N., Franco, A. D., Epstein, G., Evans, L., Franks, P., Annasawmy, P., Bennett, N., Gurney, G., Jupiter, S., Lau, J., Lazzari, N., Mahajan, S., Mangubhai, S., Naggea, J., Turner, R., & Zafra-Calvo, N. (2025). Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6959390/v1

Authors

David Gill, Stephanie D'Agata, Jessica Blythe, Joachim Claudet, Natalie Ban, Antonio Di Franco, Graham Epstein, Louisa Evans, Phil Franks, Pavanee Annasawmy, Nathan Bennett, Georgina Gurney, Stacy Jupiter, Jacqueline Lau, Natali Lazzari, Shauna Mahajan, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Josheena Naggea, Rachel Turner, Noelia Zafra-Calvo

Type: posted content
Published: 2025-08-29
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6959390/v1
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Citations: 0
Publisher page: Open at publisher

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Abstract

The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities 1. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. We developed a composite index of contextual inequity and assessed the distribution and equity of 35,440 coastal and marine projects across 84 countries. Our global map highlights “high-stakes” locations, where interactions between substantial external investment and high contextual inequity make equitable design and implementation critical. We observed high-stakes conditions across every ocean basin, and explicit consideration of equity in only 27% of projects globally. To advance equity, we recommend investing smarter through cross-sectoral partnerships and deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally.

Abstract

Abstract The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities 1. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. We developed a composite index of contextual inequity and assessed the distribution and equity of 35,440 coastal and marine projects across 84 countries. Our global map highlights “high-stakes” locations, where interactions between substantial external investment and high contextual inequity make equitable design and implementation critical. We observed high-stakes conditions across every ocean basin, and explicit consideration of equity in only 27% of projects globally. To advance equity, we recommend investing smarter through cross-sectoral partnerships and deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally.

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