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

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.