Briefing Paper

Resilient Ecosystems and Disaster Risk Reduction: Opportunities for Coastal Cities in Africa

Natural disasters are a threat to both natural and human systems. As a result of climate change, extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent. As climate change will continue having devastating effects on African coastal cities, it is necessary to adapt to such impacts. Healthy ecosystems enable this by reducing the physical exposure of people and cities to natural hazards and providing services essential for helping people and cities adapt to the impacts of climate change, while reducing disaster risks. Climateresilient ecosystems, therefore, have an important role to play in climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, particularly in African coastal cities and developing countries.