The Central Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) is organising a national workshop on ‘Enhancing Coastal Resilience Through Adaptive Strategies’ in New Delhi on 29‑30 October 2026. The workshop is being conducted under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) project ‘Enhancing Climate Adaptation Capacity of India’s Coastal Communities’ (GCF‑ECRICC). The project aims to improve livelihoods of communities living in highly vulnerable areas while restoring critical coastal ecosystems including mangroves, coastal wetlands, seagrass beds, saline marshes and coral reefs.
Addressing the inaugural session, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Narendra Bhushan, stressed that to realise Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of a Developed India 2047, it is essential to strengthen coastal communities’ capacity to cope with storm‑like adverse conditions, alongside safeguarding livelihoods. He highlighted the need to address climate‑related risks for coastal zones and underscored the importance of mangroves, seagrass, saline marshes and coral reefs for biodiversity, livelihoods and coastal protection.
The Secretary emphasized that India has significantly strengthened the scientific basis for coastal planning through shoreline change assessments, hazard line mapping, coastal sensitivity assessments and ecosystem information. He said the next step is to ensure that this evidence is not confined to reports and maps but is used in real‑time planning, infrastructure and investment decisions at state, district and local levels. Shri Bhushan noted that the National Coastal Mission will play a key role in shaping coastal resilience and adaptation initiatives based on the outcomes of the GCF‑ECRICC project.
Senior Economic Advisor, Ms. Rajshree Re, of the Ministry delivered the welcome address. She stressed the need to bring together national and state‑level approaches, science, implementation experience and financing mechanisms to strengthen coastal resilience. She highlighted progress under GCF‑ECRICC in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha and outlined possibilities for replicating and scaling the initiative elsewhere. The ‘Climate Champion’ model of the GCF‑ECRICC project was showcased, primarily involving women from coastal communities (ECRICC Didi) who disseminate climate‑action technical knowledge to local groups. The model was presented as a replicable initiative for other regions. Joint Secretary Ms. Tanvi Garg underscored the importance of the National Coastal Mission in strengthening coastal resilience and climate adaptation in collaboration with coastal states and Union Territories.
On this occasion, UNDP India Resident Representative Dr. Angela Lusigi highlighted that restoring coastal ecosystems plays a vital role in livelihood‑based initiatives, empowering women and supporting the development of their enterprises to achieve self‑reliance. Dr. Sushil Sahgal, Interim Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy India (TNC), emphasized the importance of knowledge exchange to address challenges in enhancing coastal resilience. He said this facilitates the mainstreaming of proven best practices and transformative approaches, and helps advance solutions that can be implemented practically and at scale.
Around 150 participants attended the workshop, including senior officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and related ministries, senior representatives of UNDP and TNC, coastal zone management authorities, forest departments of states/Union Territories, leading research institutions, NGOs, financial institutions and philanthropic organisations.
The recommendations emerging from the workshop are expected to aid in preparing comprehensive guidelines for adaptation‑based coastal resilience across India. These guidelines will be grounded in existing national policies and programmes, state priorities and implementation experiences. They will align with the Prime Minister’s envisaged Blue Revolution and the vision for the ocean economy, symbolised by the blue wheel in India’s national flag.