## 3 Results and Discussion
### Discussion
In past years, traditional engineering measures have been proposed to prevent flood damage. However, growing evidence from monitoring programs has demonstrated that gray infrastructure is not always effective and that, conversely, a green approach can be effective in enhancing coastal resilience. These \"softer\" engineering options include beach regeneration (e.g., on the Lincolnshire coast), foreshorne recharge (in the Orwell estuary), and managed retreat [63]. Technological advances have facilitated adaptation. Indeed, the application of technology in measures contributes to the appropriate preparation for future events [21]. Conversely, the absence of technology could hinder the implementation of adaptive options by limiting the range of possible responses [18]. However, such measures are less frequent and are only mentioned in the plans of countries like Italy, Spain, Latvia, Germany, and Cyprus. Despite this limited policy uptake, several applied projects demonstrate how technology can support adaptive capacity. For example, CASCADE, a cooperation between Italy and Croatia, concerns successful approaches for monitoring, observing, modeling, and managing the Adriatic Sea in order to enhance the protection of endangered habitats and species [64]. At the European level, CE2 COAST provides climate, biogeochemical, and ecological indicators to understand and project the impacts of climate change, thus facilitating the development of adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies [65]. There is an increasing commitment to ecosystem-based adaptation approaches as they help to protect natural systems and provide benefits that help populations in the fight against climate change [66; 67]. In Europe, LIFE programs have promoted the protection and conservation of coastal ecosystems, highlighting initiatives such as LIFE DUNAS (Portugal), LIFE COASTadapt (Sweden), LIFE CARBON2 MINE (Spain), and LIFE EBRO-ADMICLIM (Spain). At the international level, the FutureMARES project integrates regions of the Mediterranean, Northeast Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific Islands, and South American coasts to develop socially and economically viable nature-based solutions (NBS) that are focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation in coastal areas [68]. In the last two decades, initiatives for ecosystem conservation have been implemented as adaptation measures to combat the effects of climate change. Among these initiatives, it is worth highlighting the restoration of the former saltworks of Camargue (France). The French Coastal Conservation Society acquired land once used for salt production after a period of inactivity. A total of 300 hectares of marshland habitat were restored between 2008 and 2012 [69]. About 70% of the area is only 1 m above sea level, and, as a consequence, it is highly vulnerable to flooding. In the 1860s, dikes were built to prevent flooding of its southern coastal section. The result was the poldering of the delta, and this reduced sediment input from the Rhone River, which in turn affected dune formation and increased coastal erosion. These changes have been accelerated by rising sea levels due to climate change [70]. A similar example is located in Lippenbroek (Belgium), where the marshland ecosystem was restored in the region along the Scheldt River, which was primarily composed of agricultural land reclaimed from the sea through dikes. The river estuary is situated in a densely populated area in the northern part of the country, and its tidal influence extends up to 155 km inland, covering areas ranging from saltwater to brackish and freshwater. After a major flood in 1977, the Belgian government initiated the \"Sigma Plan\" to protect the Flemish part of the Scheldt estuary from tides by raising the dike levels.