Coastal protection project preparation for Beira, Mozambique

The challenge: recovering from the impacts of climate change

Situated on the east coast of Mozambique, Beira’s location –particularly the area of Praia Nova – means the city is vulnerable to increasingly frequent and severe climate-related hazards.

The impacts of Cyclone Idai in 2019 highlighted this risk. The storm, which caused hundreds of fatalities in Mozambique alone, stimulated a surge in support and resources to help the city better mitigate, respond to, and recover from the impacts of climate change.

Led by the Mozambican government, a coastal protection project was set up – joint funded by the World Bank and Invest International – to support the city. However, to formulate a successful risk mitigation strategy, Invest International needed a sustainable solution that could be achieved within budget and approved by an array of key stakeholders.

In addition to these challenges, travel to the region was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant we had to find an innovative approach to engaging stakeholders and conducting site visits.

The solution: a coastal protection strategy and design

In 2020, Invest International appointed Royal HaskoningDHV to carry out feasibility and preparation studies, and to develop an implementation strategy.

Our involvement included:

• Environmental scoping and gap analysis
• Developing the Terms of Reference for the Environmental and Social Impact AssessmentUndertaking socio-economic baseline surveys, desk studies, and extensive hydraulic and morphological studies
• Managing a process to engage the public and key stakeholders
• Preparing preliminary designs
• Developing soft solutions where possible and hard solutions where necessary
• Taking a lead in project management and coordination

Due to the travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, an intensive virtual stakeholder engagement process was set up so we could start working as soon as possible. This way there could be intensive discussions and explanations about the positives and negatives of multiple different hard and soft solutions.

One major consideration was the importance of the coastal protection system adding value to the city and stimulating sustainable development. For this reason, nature-based solutions were preferred. The package of recommended solutions, therefore, included restoring and strengthening the existing dune ridges and mangrove belts around Beira.

For areas with limited space where nature-based solutions weren’t feasible, hard revetments and floodwalls were selected for specific short stretches of the shoreline.

The result: building flood resilience and protecting Beira from climate hazards

The designed coastal protection system will increase flood safety for the whole of Beira and benefit its entire population.

Importantly, the vulnerable population of Praia Nova will be protected from the frequent flooding it’s currently experiencing.

By using an integrated approach with a focus on soft solutions, we were able to view the separate systems of the city, port, and coastal stretches as a whole. As a result, we can enhance the positive impacts of our interventions and mitigate negative ones – all with significantly lower lifetime costs compared to a hard protection scheme.

For example, the proposed design minimises the negative impact on existing mangrove patches, and presents the option to stimulate mangrove growth in the foreshore by making it shallower and adding fine sediment collected from navigation channels.

There are also opportunities for more urban integration – with features such as walkways, coastal parks, and the redevelopment of the fishery port at Praia Nova – to enhance the lives of all Beira’s citizens. These options will be further assessed, selected, and integrated into the detailed design in the next phase of the coastal protection project.