CEDTI Conference 2025: "Living on the Edge: Coastal Transitions in the Indian Ocean"

The Indo-Oceanic Territorial Development Studies Center (CEDTI) is hosting the second edition of its international conference, "Living on the Edge: Coastal Transitions in the Indian Ocean," from November 18 to 20, 2025, in Mauritius. In response to the climate emergency hitting coastal regions of the Indian Ocean—where sea levels are rising at twice the global average—this interdisciplinary gathering will bring together researchers, professionals, businesses, and local communities to rethink the future of coastal territories. Supported this year by the Embassy of France, the French Institute of Mauritius, and Kolos Cement Ltd., this conference follows the 2024 edition, which focused on the theme of Water in its Island States, and now concentrates on the future of island territories and their coastlines, which are critical spaces with multiple stakes and significant socio-economic impacts.

Led by Dr. Farrah Jahangeer, CEDTI is the first independent research institution focused on sustainable urban transformations in the Indian Ocean. This initiative was selected as one of the innovative projects following the "Our Future – Africa-Europe Dialogues" forum organized by the French Institute of Mauritius in November 2023. CEDTI is further supported in its development by a grant from the French Team Fund (FEF).

Dr. Farrah Jahangeer explains, "The rise in sea levels poses a danger to coastal and island states. Our beaches are disappearing, our coastal villages are eroding, and our homes are at risk. But the urgency goes beyond that: inland, rivers are drying up, lands are eroding, and ecosystems are changing rapidly. Our daily lives, fishing, tourism, housing, and traditions are at stake. CEDTI acts as a bridge: we bring together science, local knowledge, and institutional action. Our goal is to transform knowledge into solutions to protect our coasts and ways of life. Because the coastline is not just sand and waves. It's where we live, work, and connect. When it shifts, our entire lives shift with it. Therefore, one discipline is not enough. We need to combine perspectives: architects, engineers, artists, sociologists, and residents. This blend opens new, more creative, and just pathways. This year, we welcome participants from across the region—Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar, La Réunion—proving that rising seas have no borders. And neither do our responses. The conference is not just about research: it's a collective call to rethink our coastlines."

This year, CEDTI's program will highlight the MAURISCOT study and approaches to coastal development responses. CEDTI is developing an approach that moves from knowledge to action, combining rigorous scientific research, technological innovation, and community solutions. Through its five research poles—digital transformations, transition geographies, creative resources, sustainable skills, and resilient architecture—the center proposes an alternative to current development models.

CEDTI's research translates into concrete, applicable solutions, particularly for small island states, following a rigorous process. Each project is guided by a four-step dynamic: understand, invent, test, and apply. The 2024 Conference produced a comprehensive document titled "Research Chronicles" to address the needs and challenges of water for island states.

The 2025 Conference will also feature a participatory design competition in Bel Ombre, inviting residents and designers to co-create prototypes for 2050 housing, perfectly illustrating CEDTI's philosophy: turning research into concrete and sustainable solutions for island communities.

Participatory Design Competition in Bel Ombre

The Bel Ombre 2050 competition, titled "Bel Ombre 2050: Reshaping the Edge," presents an ambitious architectural challenge to rethink the future of coastal life in Mauritius. The field visit organized in 2024 with collaborator MRU 2025, during the previous conference, was not merely observational; it marked the beginning of a research-action process leading to this competition. CEDTI has called upon architects, designers, urban planners, and visionaries to reinvent how the village of Bel Ombre can adapt, thrive, and inspire in the face of rising waters. Through this initiative, CEDTI offers a forward-looking reflection on how island communities can adapt, exploring how architecture and urbanism can transform vulnerability into resilience. More than just a design exercise, this competition provides a platform for dialogue where local solutions meet global challenges, culminating in the presentation of winning projects during the CEDTI 2025 conference, with a grand prize of a trip to the first Pan-African Architecture Biennale in Nairobi. This initiative could lead to the creation of prototypes, studied and adapted in collaboration with local residents and relevant institutions.

Dr. Farrah Jahangeer adds, "Building more walls or stacking sandbags, as seen in Rivière des Galets or Bain Bœuf, are measures that, on their own, remain insufficient. The sea inevitably always reclaims its place. Therefore, it becomes necessary to invent another way: restoration and protection of ecosystems must be considered, education and coastal culture rethought, more flexible forms of housing explored, and the gradual transformation of coastal villages and towns anticipated. In some cases, relocating threatened structures must be contemplated, as proposed by several research submissions for the conference."

The village of Bel Ombre faces a dual threat: rising seas and flooding from the Saint-Martin River. Rather than being passive, a call for co-creation was made, inviting residents, architects, urban planners, and local stakeholders to collaboratively design solutions. These proposals were not confined to a room; they were submitted for evaluation by an expert jury as well as by residents and the public present during the conference's opening ceremony.

This approach is grounded in a strong conviction: creativity stemming from project design can become a tool against climate change, and everyone can contribute. The importance of communicating project design as a dialogue tool between residents, institutions, and field actors is thus highlighted.