Guidance for Managing Coastal Protection Works in Pacific Island Countries

Pacific Regional (Suva, Fiji)

PRIF / ADB TA-9819 REG | 2023

Coastal protection in a Pacific island setting, reflecting the practical challenges addressed through the regional guidance.

Strengthening the Management of Coastal Protection Works

Coastal protection structures play an important role in communities across the Pacific, but effective protection depends on more than the initial construction of coastal works.

Working alongside Tonkin & Taylor International under the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility’s Affordable Coastal Protection in the Pacific program, Intercoastal co-authored regional guidance for the management, monitoring, inspection and reporting of coastal protection structures in Pacific Island Countries.

The guidance provides a simple yet robust approach for assessing coastal works, considering their condition and performance as well as their effects on communities and the environment.

Project Highlights

Regional guidance
Co-authoring practical guidance for Pacific Island Countries

Coastal asset management
Supporting consistent monitoring, inspection and reporting

Decision-making
A framework for selecting appropriate responses to coastal protection issues

Regional training
Bringing the guidance into practice through online and in-person training and workshops

From Coastal Protection to Long-Term Management

Coastal protection works across Pacific Island Countries vary considerably in their type, purpose, condition and management.

The guidance responds to this by providing a consistent approach to understanding existing coastal protection assets and determining how they should be managed over time. The document considers the condition and performance of structures alongside their importance and the potential need for intervention.

This provides coastal managers with a structured basis for monitoring works, identifying potential issues and selecting an appropriate management response.

Field-based training in Suva examining coastal erosion and existing protection works.

A Practical Framework for Coastal Asset Management

The guidance establishes an asset-management approach centred on understanding the asset, monitoring its condition and performance, and determining an appropriate management response.

This includes consideration of information about the original asset and its intended function, ongoing monitoring, and assessment of whether intervention may be required.

The resulting framework provides a practical method that can be applied across the varied coastal settings and protection structures found throughout Pacific Island Countries.

Bringing the Guidance into Practice

Intercoastal’s involvement extended beyond development of the publication.

Following preparation of the guidance, Intercoastal helped bring it into practice through regional training and workshops delivered both online and in person across the Pacific.

Intercoastal also supported training with local engineers and coastal managers on the use of the guidance and contributed to the development of a user-friendly asset-management database to support the monitoring and management of coastal protection infrastructure.

Regional training supporting practical application of the Guidance for Managing Coastal Protection Works in Pacific Island Countries.

Supporting Consistent Coastal Management Across the Pacific

The project combines technical coastal engineering knowledge with practical tools that can be used by those responsible for coastal infrastructure.

By establishing a structured approach to monitoring, inspection, reporting and decision-making, the guidance supports more consistent management of coastal protection works across the region.

James’s supplied project summary notes that the publication is now used as a reference standard for coastal asset management across the Pacific.

Intercoastal’s Role

Intercoastal worked alongside Tonkin & Taylor International to co-author the Guidance for Managing Coastal Protection Works in Pacific Island Countries.

The work included development of a practical approach to monitoring coastal protection works, considering condition, performance and effects on communities and the environment, together with a decision-making framework for selecting an appropriate response.

Intercoastal subsequently supported regional training and workshops to help translate the guidance into practical application.

Project Details

Client: Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF)
Program: ADB TA-9819 REG – Affordable Coastal Protection in the Pacific
Location: Pacific regional (Suva, Fiji)
Project period: 2023
Services: Coastal Engineering · Climate Adaptation & Resilience