Coastlines are subject to multiple developments related to land use planning and the effects of climate change, developments likely to generate a strong increase in the risk of coastal flooding. This PhD on published works focuses on systems to protect against this hazard, and presents: • a bibliographical analysis on the concepts, methods and strategies for adapting protection systems through strengthening their resilience. This analysis is based on the essential assumption that a coastal flood protection system is a social-ecological system; • in relation to the state of the art and with the aim of completing it, a summary presentation of the research that led to: ◦ the revision of the concept of a coastal flood protection system; ◦ the establishment of a methodological framework to strengthen the resilience of protection systems.