Adapto + (Adapto +)

Convinced of the value of a flexible approach to coastal zone management, the Conservatoire du littoral (French Coastal Protection Agency) and the French Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) launched the Life Adapto project in 2017 to address the challenge of adapting sparsely urbanized coastal areas to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise.

The LIFE Adapto experience enabled the transformation of 10 pilot sites in France between 2017 and 2022, successfully demonstrating the effectiveness and relevance of nature-based flexible coastal management.

While Life Adapto was a demonstration project with significant local impact, scaling up was necessary to amplify the effects of this new method of coastal management—this is the purpose of Life Adapto+.

Co-funded by the European Union, the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, the Sea and Fisheries, and the Banque des Territoires, Life Adapto+ aims to roll out flexible coastal zone management on a large scale in areas exposed to sea level rise-related phenomena, by involving local stakeholders in the management and creation of natural buffer zones.

A total of 15 new sites are involved in the Life Adapto+ initiative, with the extension of flexible management practices to 10 additional territories by 2029.