Natural infrastructure, such as coral reefs and mangrove forests, provide numerous ecosystem services to people. Healthy coral reefs can reduce wave energy by up to 97%, and large areas of mangroves can reduce storm surge heights by up to 75%. Coastal ecosystems like these provide flood protection, food, and income from fishing and tourism to more than 600 million people globally. As coastal populations grow and habitats change, there is an urgent need to protect this natural infrastructure. Funding to do so primarily comes from public and philanthropic sources and is limited. Insurance for natural infrastructure presents a key opportunity to generate additional sources of funds to protect coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems.
During the webinar, experts from the insurance sector provided an overview of insurance types, applications, and the current state of insuring natural assets, including coral reefs. The presentations were followed by an open question-and-answer session with Dr. Simon Young (Senior Director, Willis Towers Watson) and Philippe Brahin (Head of Americas for Public Sector Solutions, Swiss Re). If you do not have access to YouTube, please contact us at Resilience@TNC.org for a copy of the recording.
- Additional questions answered by the experts
- Philippe Brahin’s presentation slides
- Dr. Simon Young’s presentation slides
It is the first webinar of a three-part meeting series, with parts two and three planned to take place during USCRTF meetings in April and October 2022.
