ICM at the UN Ocean Conferences: Coastal Resilience, Global Partnerships, and What Comes Next

Vivien De Greef
Jun 26
5 min read

From urban dunes on the Gold Coast to oyster reefs in Noosa, the solutions Australia is developing to protect its coastlines are being noticed, and now, shared on the global stage. This June, International Coastal Management (ICM) represented Australia at the United Nations One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC) and the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, with 2,000+ scientists, 12,000 delegates, 64 heads of state, and many civil society organisations, private sector partners and researchers.

With climate pressures mounting and coastal communities growing, there is continually growing need for location-specific, evidence-based action. Here’s why ICM was invited to UNOC3, what we shared, and what it all means for coastal engineering, science, and strategy moving forwards.

A Framework Built on Real Projects

During the One Ocean Science Congress, ICM Director Aaron Salyer presented our Coastal Resilience Framework, an approach grounded in more than four decades of work across Australia's coast, and internationally.

“The solutions we’ve implemented - from urban dunes, to living shorelines and artificial reefs - are proof that nature-based and hybrid engineering approaches can work at scale,” said Salyer.

The framework focuses on three core components:

The Top of Beach, protecting and restoring dunes and dry beach areas
The Bottom of Beach, enhancing the subtidal zone and nearshore stability
Sediment Supply, ensuring balanced sediment movement and sources

By integrating solutions that consider all three factors, while allowing natural processes to thrive, this framework lays the foundation for building coastal resilience.

"Each site, each solution, is different. That was a theme that kept being repeated at the Congress: one size does not fit all when it comes to coast resilience," said Salyer.

Noosa Reefs and Real-World Pilots

One of the projects that sparked particular interest was the Noosa Oyster Ecosystem Restoration Project, featured at La Baleine (“The Whale”), the Congress's interactive science gallery.

As Queensland's first major oyster reef, the project showcased the value of working with nature to restore an ecosystem, improve water quality, and serve as an erosion buffer - all while increasing biodiversity locally.

ICM developed the engineering design in partnership with The Nature Conservancy Australia and Noosa Council, and Director Aaron Salyer spent the week engaging visitors, scientists, and policymakers who wanted to learn more.

“There was real appetite for tested, not just theoretical, projects,” Salyer said. “People want to know what works. And we have answers.”

10 Scientific Recommendations for the Ocean

One major outcome of the Congress was the development of 10 official recommendations, delivered to Heads of State and Government, to guide ocean policy discussions at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference:

Inspire Ocean stewardship through integrated knowledge
Promote safe and equitable Ocean-based climate solutions
Protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems
Pause harmful seabed uses and expand dee-sea knowledge for sustainability
Equitably share marine genetic resource benefits.
End illicit, unreported and unregulated fishing, and boost transparency.
Build sustainable, equitable and safe Ocean-based food systems.
End marine plastic pollution.
Reduce CO2 emissions and impacts of shipping
Invest in transdisciplinary knowledge for Ocean action

“This manifesto is a call for action [...] We are saying act now, the science is clear [...] These are conversations that we can convey, that's our responsibility. It’s their responsibility to act.” said François Houllier, CEO of IFREMER and co-chair of the Congress’s Scientific Committee.

The Congress also highlighted a critical funding gap: only 1.7% of national research budgets on average are dedicated to ocean science, despite the ocean covering over 70% of Earth’s surface and playing a pivotal role in regulating the planet’s climate.

“We spent $165 billion last year on a couple of storms, cleaning up after the mess, not trying to prevent the mess.” said former US Secretary of State John Kerry in a recorded address. “That's an absurd conclusion. Mother Nature is sending us the most powerful messages that in our lifetime we have ever known.”

The UN Ocean Conference

By the time UNOC3 began, the focus had shifted from scientific insight to political will, funding and implementation. Throughout five days of events, ICM attended:

Side events led by Australia, Fiji, and Pacific Island nations
Roundtables on blue carbon, digital tools, and private investment
Startup pitches, innovation showcases, and coastal case studies
Networking events with government, city and NGO leaders

A few themes emerged that are highly relevant to our work as coastal engineers:

1. Cities Are Stepping Up

Coastal cities aren’t waiting for national directives. They’re launching local pilot projects, looking for proven templates, and wanting to move faster. From San Diego to Singapore, there’s hunger for real-world collaboration and adaptable models like ICM’s Coastal Resilience Framework.

2. Collaboration Gaps Persist

Many scientists, NGOs, and agencies are working on similar problems - in isolation. There’s a massive opportunity for shared data, collaborative innovation, and cross-region learnings. We see a role here: to help connect dots across sectors.

3. Capital is Coming

At the Blue Economy and Finance Forum hosted in Monaco, €25 billion in investments were identified, with an additional €8.7 billion secured to accelerate ocean action by 2030. The newly launched Philanthropy & Investors for the Ocean (PIO) platform aims to unlock financing by 2030 for coastal regeneration, resilience, and blue innovation. Real pilots - like ICM’s Living Speedbumps and hybrid reef designs, can be the ready-to-scale solutions funders are seeking.

4. Global Commitments

The UN Ocean Conference saw a range of new commitments aimed at turning anbition into action. Nineteen additional countries ratified the High Seas Treaty, bringing the total to 50, just 10 short of the 60 needed to bring the treaty into force. One activated, this treaty will enable the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in international waters, along with other frameworks for assessment and management, which would be a major milestone for global ocean governance.

Another focus of the week was the 30x30 target, protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Australia's environment minister, Murray Watt, announced the Australian government plans to declare 30% of its ocean as "highly protected" by 2030. Globally, 12 countries announced new or expanded MPAs, and support continues to build for a ban on deep sea mining. 37 countries now back a pause or outright ban, reflecting the growing concern about the risks posed to fragile deep-ocean ecosystems.

Representing Australia’s Expertise

ICM was one of just a few Australian firms attending both the Science Congress and UNOC3. As a company with more than 1,200 projects delivered globally, we bring deep knowledge of:

Translating science into site-specific engineering
Designing nature-based and hybrid infrastructure
Leading cross-sector collaboration from concept to construction

“As coastal engineers, we’re not just dealing with theory, we’re solving for real-world complexity in dynamic environments,” said Aaron Salyer, Director at ICM. “The solutions we’ve implemented across Australia and globally - artificial reefs, living shorelines, hybrid systems, are proof of what’s possible. These aren’t just pilot concepts; they’re scalable, site-specific approaches other coastal nations can adopt and adapt.”

What's Next

We leave UNOC3 with deepened partnerships, new opportunities, and a shared commitment to scale what works.

Coastal change is happening fast, but so is innovation. Our job now is to accelerate delivery, not just design. Coastal engineers have a critical role in making resilience real for cities, ecosystems, and communities.

If you’re:

A city exploring a pilot
An NGO looking for technical delivery
A funder seeking proof-of-concept
Or a coastal planner needing resilience built in

We'd love to hear from you. Because coastal development is inevitable. But coastal resilience is a choice. And we’re ready to help design it, build it, and prove it.