Bridging the Science-Policy Gap for Coastal Resilience in India

Climate risks threaten the coastal areas all over the world. For a country like India, with a densely populated coastline, developing effective policies and management strategies to cope with the current and future climate risks is of vital importance. This paper examines the critical intersection of climate risks and coastal management in India, focusing on how inclusive science-policy-society interfaces can enhance actions supporting coastal climate resilience. Through a systematic literature review spanning three decades, it identifies the major climate risks affecting India's extensive coastline, which collectively pose significant threats to ecological and socio-economic stability. The paper further evaluates the current policies and frameworks on climate action and coastal management in India—such as the National and State Action Plan on Climate Change, Coastal Zone Management Notification and Disaster Management policies using the concept matrix approach to assess their effectiveness in addressing these emerging risks. The findings indicate a lack of comprehensive national policies specifically targeting coastal climate adaptation, with existing frameworks often subsuming coastal issues under broader categories. While the climate action plans of coastal states have components to address coastal vulnerabilities and adaptations, the lack of a national-level coastal adaptation policy is daunting. In addition, there has been a sustained dilution of conservation principles in the coastal zone management acts, as evidenced by the reduction in the no-development zones over the years. The paper carries out an in-depth policy analysis of the states and centres’ progress and preparedness in addressing the emerging coastal climate risks and emphasises a focus on a scientific understanding of the challenges and opportunities on the basis of which the policy and coastal management mechanisms have to be aligned. The disaster management policies and acts highlight the need for micro-level planning that integrates climate resilience into disaster management and coastal governance strategies, emphasizing the importance of fostering synergies among various sectors and institutions to enhance adaptive capacity and promote sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable coastal communities. The overall analysis of the national and state action plans, disaster management policies, and coastal regulation zone notifications in India shows that the integration of climate risk assessments into coastal adaptation planning is imperative for improving coastal resilience and sustainable development of coastal societies.