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

The billions invested annually in marine climate adaptation, blue economy related development, and conservation projects in the Global South can address, or reinforce, pre-existing contextual inequities. Concurrently, contextual inequities can also undermine the effectiveness and outcomes of externally-funded projects. Here 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 investing deeper to address root causes of contextual inequity in marine systems globally. Coastal and marine projects in the Global South can exacerbate existing contextual inequities, particularly in high-stakes locations found across all ocean basins and identified using current investment levels and a composite index of inequity.