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

Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Social Sciences - Article Investing smarter and deeper to advance equity in high-stakes coastal locations David Gill, Stephanie D'Agata, Jessica Blythe, Joachim Claudet, and 16 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6959390/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Communications Sustainability → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities 1. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. 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 deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Climate-change policy Scientific community and society/Developing world Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files GilletalSupplInfoNature.pdf SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Communications Sustainability → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6959390","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Social Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":496723648,"identity":"741a31d1-0b16-4fb2-abf5-a7a469370d49","order_by":0,"name":"David 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