Deltas Resilience: Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Development in India

This book offers a comprehensive examination of nature-based solutions (NbS) as sustainable, cost-effective, and community-centered approaches to tackling environmental and socio-economic challenges in India's vulnerable delta regions. Focusing on key ecosystems such as the Ganga-Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Krishna-Godavari, and Cauvery deltas, it highlights how integrating natural processes into planning and policy can enhance climate resilience, restore ecological integrity, and support local livelihoods.

India's deltaic zones are ecological hotspots and home to millions, yet they are increasingly threatened by climate change, sea-level rise, urban expansion, and unsustainable land use. Through applied research, case studies, and policy analysis, this book illustrates how nature-based strategies - such as mangrove restoration, wetland conservation, river rehabilitation, and sustainable agriculture - can reduce disaster risk, improve water security, and protect biodiversity.

Key themes include the science and implementation of NbS, delta-specific climate vulnerabilities, ecosystem services, participatory planning, climate finance, and governance mechanisms. The book also addresses the role of indigenous and local knowledge, urban delta challenges, and pathways for mainstreaming NbS into national and sub-national policy frameworks. With contributions from experts across academia, government, and international development, it combines theoretical insight with practical guidance.

By weaving interdisciplinary perspectives with grounded examples from Indian deltas, this book not only informs but also encourages action toward adaptive, inclusive, and ecologically sound development.

This book is essential reading for students, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and NGOs working in climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, environmental planning, and sustainable development.