Workshop in Sint Maarten - Building coastal resilience

It was in the enchanting setting of Sint Maarten that a week-long workshop dedicated to managing the risks of marine erosion and submersion in European and British Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) was held. The event, organized by the Green Overseas Program, brought together participants from the four corners of the globe - from Tristan da Cunha to French Polynesia - united by common coastal challenges, despite the diversity of their geographical and cultural contexts.
From the opening of the workshop, exchanges laid the foundations for a dynamic community of practice, with a presentation of the GO Program and the climate resilience community, followed by a convivial moment where each participant shared their local experience and the issues specific to the territory they represented. Inspiring speeches illustrated concrete approaches to resilience and coastal protection, highlighting from the outset the importance of strategic planning and support for nature in recovery processes.
The following sessions delved deeper into the fundamental concepts of coastal processes and integrated coastal management, already covered in some of the online training courses. Particular attention was paid to nature-based solutions, through case studies from New Caledonia, the Falkland Islands and French Polynesia, as well as a virtual presentation of the "Living Labs" initiative carried out in the Caribbean by SEI.
The workshop took on an even more concrete dimension with a day of field exploration across Sint Maarten. From mangrove restoration and coral reef protection to the challenges of beach erosion, breakwaters and landfill pollution, the visit enabled participants to see first-hand the complexity of managing fragile coastal environments. These observations fed into afternoon discussions on early warning systems, integrated approaches and flagship projects such as the CRID in St. Kitts and Nevis or the "Ridge to Reef" program, with feedback from Bonaire, St. Pierre and Miquelon, the Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
The following day, participants embarked on a cross-border visit to Saint-Barthélemy. On site, they discovered post-hurricane restoration efforts on the beaches of Saline and Saint-Jean, accompanied by valuable explanations from Pascal Peuchot, Anaïs Coulon and Ywenn de la Torre. The afternoon was devoted to emergency management and the preservation of coral ecosystems, with a visit to the territorial firefighters' command center and a time of exchange at the Collectivité territoriale.
To close this workshop, a lecture by Ywenn De La Torre (BRGM Guadeloupe) highlighted the adaptation strategies implemented in the Polynesian atolls of the Tuamotu. Then, in small groups, participants were invited to synthesize their key learnings around five key areas: nature-based solutions or physical infrastructures, long-term planning, governanceand financing, toolsand methods, and finally opportunities for future collaboration.
This workshop revealed, once again, the importance of exchanges between territories, the strength of the collective, and the importance of crossing expertise to build shared resilience to the effects of climate change.

Workshop in Sint Maarten - Building coastal resilience

This workshop revealed, once again, the importance of exchanges between territories, the strength of the collective, and the importance of crossing expertise to build shared resilience to the effects of climate change.