Challenges and lessons learned from global coastal erosion protection strategies

Coastal erosion is a significant global threat to coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Despite various global coastal management strategies and policies and the best efforts to combat coastal erosion, challenges persist. This study reviews global literature on coastal erosion management strategies, highlighting lessons learned and challenges encountered in implementation from past experiences. Findings indicate that global coastal erosion is increasing, with seawalls and hard engineering declining and nature-based solutions and ecological engineering being developed. However, balancing coastal protection with environmental and socioeconomic impacts remains a global challenge, as static coastal protections struggle to adapt to dynamic climate change scenarios. Thus, rising sea levels and other causes of coastal erosion should be prioritized alongside holistic coastal management approaches that consider recession, land use, infrastructure, community well-being, and resilience. This study underscores the need collaborative efforts among stakeholders to develop sustainable coastal protection solutions to address rising sea levels and coastal erosion.