National Workshop on Coastal Resilience Opens in Delhi

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change began a two-day national workshop in New Delhi on 29 October 2026 under the title 'Enhancing Coastal Resilience through Adaptive Strategies'. It runs through 30 October 2026. The workshop sits inside the Green Climate Fund project named Enhancing Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities, which officials refer to as GCF-ECRICC.

What the project does

GCF-ECRICC works on bringing back the coast's most important natural systems: mangroves, coastal watersheds, seagrass, salt marshes and corals. Alongside that ecological work it tries to put the livelihoods of people in the most exposed stretches on firmer ground. The project is running in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha, and its progress in those three States, together with the scope for copying the approach elsewhere, was placed before the gathering.

What the Ministry said

Narendra Bhooshan, Secretary in the Ministry, told the opening session that strengthening the coast against a changing climate while safeguarding livelihoods is something India must do if the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal is to be met. He pointed to the value of mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes and coral reefs for biodiversity, for earnings and as a shield for the shore. He said the scientific groundwork for coastal planning has been built up through shoreline-change assessment, hazard-line mapping, coastal vulnerability assessment and ecosystem information, and that the work now is to carry this evidence out of reports and maps and into real planning, infrastructure and investment choices at State, district and local level. The National Coastal Mission, he said, would act as the pivot for that effort, building on what GCF-ECRICC has produced.

Other speakers

Rajasree Ray, Senior Economic Advisor in the Ministry, gave the welcome address and argued for pulling national and State views, science, field experience and financing together. She showcased the project's Climate Champion model, in which women drawn mostly from coastal villages, called ECRICC Didi, translate technical knowledge into something local communities can act on. Tanvi Garg, Joint Secretary, spoke on the National Coastal Mission's place in coastal resilience and climate adaptation with the coastal States and Union Territories. Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative of UNDP India, said restoring coastal ecosystems supports livelihoods and helps women grow their own enterprises. Sushil Saigal, Interim Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy India, spoke on exchanging knowledge to spread proven practice.

Who attended and what follows

Close to 150 participants took part, among them senior officers of the Ministry and other ministries, representatives of UNDP and The Nature Conservancy, Coastal Zone Management Authorities, State and Union Territory forest departments, research institutions, non-government organisations, financial institutions and philanthropic bodies. The recommendations are to feed into broad guidelines for adaptive coastal resilience in India, drawing on national policy, State priorities and field experience, in line with the vision of a Blue Revolution and an ocean economy symbolised by the blue chakra in the national flag.