Nature-Based Green Infrastructure for Climate-Resilient Coastal Tourism: Strategic Priorities for Small Island Destinations in the Anambas Islands, Indonesia

Abstract

Small-island destinations faced disproportionate climate risks from sea-level rise, coral bleaching, and coastal erosion, which threatened the ecosystems that sustained their tourism economies. Nature-Based Green Infrastructure (NBGI) was increasingly promoted as an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy; however, empirical evidence on the prioritization of NBGI interventions for coastal tourism remained limited, particularly in small-island destinations in developing countries. This study identified and prioritized NBGI strategies to strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable tourism development in the Anambas Islands, Indonesia. A sequential mixed-methods design integrated Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Primary data were collected from a purposively selected panel of experts representing government agencies, tourism operators, local communities, academia, and environmental practitioners (n = 15; distribution and years of experience to be confirmed), complemented by secondary data obtained from spatial planning documents and environmental reports. Twenty-one strategic factors were identified across the four SWOT dimensions, comprising five strengths, five weaknesses, five opportunities, and six threats. AHP prioritization ranked Strength (0.372) and Opportunity (0.304) above Weakness (0.198) and Threat (0.196) and identified the Strength–Opportunity (SO) strategy as the leading strategic orientation (0.432). Five priority interventions were subsequently identified: mangrove restoration, coral reef rehabilitation, living shorelines, green coastal drainage, and community-based ecotourism. The integrated SWOT–AHP framework provided a transparent and reproducible basis for prioritizing nature-based interventions in climate-vulnerable small-island tourism destinations. Among these interventions, green coastal drainage and mangrove/living-shoreline buffers also functioned as nature-based infrastructure for managing runoff, intercepting pollutants, and reducing the transfer of land-based waste into coastal waters. These findings positioned ecosystem conservation not only as an environmental intervention but also as a component of integrated coastal waste management and a strategic investment in the long-term sustainability of island tourism.