Caribbean islands are among the world’s most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with storm frequency and intensity, flooding, erosion and sea level rise all predicted to worsen. With over 70% of people in the Caribbean living and working along the coast, these impacts threaten homes, hospitals, power plants, freshwater sources, roads and schools. Island communities must work together to prepare for natural disasters and minimize the impacts they will endure. Evidence shows that key coastal ecosystems, like coral reefs and mangroves, can help reduce risks while enhancing sustainable economic development.

Resilient Islands is an initiative designed to help Caribbean islands cope with the impacts of climate change by promoting ecosystem-based solutions that protect and restore coastal habitats proven to reduce risks. The project provides communities and governments with the tools and training to integrate nature-based interventions into existing and future policy and community planning, in order to reduce vulnerability and build resilience against the escalating threats of climate change.

Launched by The Nature Conservancy and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Resilient Islands work with communities and governments to design decision-support tools, train local leaders, integrate ecosystem-based adaptation strategies into national policies and implement ecosystem restoration projects in vulnerable coastal areas in the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Jamaica. Working together, we can create resilient Caribbean communities and governments that are empowered to significantly increase investments in the protection and restoration of critical ecosystems to meet climate adaptation, risk reduction and sustainable development goals.