Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations in the Global South

The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, blue economy related development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. Here we developed a composite index of contextual inequity and assessed the distribution and equity of 35,440 coastal and marine projects across 84 countries. Our global map highlights high-stakes locations, where interactions between substantial external investment and high contextual inequity make equitable design and implementation critical. We observed high-stakes conditions across every ocean basin and explicit consideration of equity in only 27% of projects globally. To advance equity, we recommend investing smarter through cross-sectoral partnerships and investing deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally. Coastal and marine projects in the Global South can exacerbate existing contextual inequities, particularly in high-stakes locations found across all ocean basins and identified using current investment levels and a composite index of inequity.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Communications Sustainability
Published
2026-04-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44458-026-00052-8
Primary Topic
Coastal and Marine Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations in the Global South

Rachel A. Turner, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Nathan Bennett, Natalie C. Ban et al.
Communications Sustainability
Coastal and Marine Management
article

Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations in the Global South

Rachel A. Turner, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Nathan Bennett, Natalie C. Ban, Louisa Evans, Phil Franks, Shauna L. Mahajan, Georgina G. Gurney, Pavanee Annasawmy, Stacy D. Jupiter, Noelia Zafra-Calvo, Joachim Claudet, Jessica L. Blythe, David A. Gill, Stephanie D’Agata, Jacqueline Lau, Antonio Di Franco, Natali Lazzari, Graham Epstein, Josheena Naggea
article en

Abstract

The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, blue economy related development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. Here we developed a composite index of contextual inequity and assessed the distribution and equity of 35,440 coastal and marine projects across 84 countries. Our global map highlights high-stakes locations, where interactions between substantial external investment and high contextual inequity make equitable design and implementation critical. We observed high-stakes conditions across every ocean basin and explicit consideration of equity in only 27% of projects globally. To advance equity, we recommend investing smarter through cross-sectoral partnerships and investing deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally. Coastal and marine projects in the Global South can exacerbate existing contextual inequities, particularly in high-stakes locations found across all ocean basins and identified using current investment levels and a composite index of inequity.

Communications SustainabilityVol. 1(1)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Tasmania (AU), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (CA), Wildlife Conservation Society (US), University of British Columbia (CA), University of Waterloo (CA), Ifremer (FR), École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR), Duke University (US), Brock University (CA), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (ES), International Institute for Environment and Development (GB), University of Victoria (CA), University of Exeter (GB), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Marine Conservation Institute (US), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (IT), Basque Centre for Climate Change (ES), World Wildlife Fund (US), Centre for Marine Socioecology (AU), Mauritius Institute of Education (MU), Fondation Pour la Recherche Sur la Biodiversité (FR), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (FR), International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), James Cook University (AU), Stanford University (US)
Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversite
Openalex Percentile: Top 29%
Coastal and Marine Management
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.