The knowledge of land use and land cover (LULC) plays a vital role in understanding natural resources, their usefulness, conservation, and management. Coastal LULC is complex and dynamic, and analyzing it can provide significant information for coastal adaptation planning and management in the face of changing climates, particularly sea-level rise. The study has assessed the LULC change in the Pichavaram mangrove region of Tamil Nadu coast, India, from 1987 to 2017 using remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS). Multi-temporal data such as Landsat TM, LISS 3, and LISS 4 are used in this study. The study identified (1) agriculture, mangroves, and aquaculture are three major coastal natural resources of the study area; (2) the degraded mangroves are reduced and dense mangroves are increased; aquaculture farms emerged and then started declining; and also agricultural lands in the upland regions are gradually reduced; (3) joint mangrove management played a significant role in the restoration of mangroves of the study region, whereas improper management of aqua farms and rapid development in the upland area are reasons for the decline in aquaculture and agriculture. According to the study, these dynamic coastal LULC patterns will continue to alter fast, putting the coastal system at risk from expected sea-level rise implications. Therefore, nature-based solutions such as ecosystem-based adaptation of various coastal natural resources are believed to pave potential ways to address the challenges of rising sea levels. Thus, the study concludes by emphasizing the urgent necessity to assess the changing dynamics of the state of coastal LULC with the help of remote sensing and GIS tools. Importantly, the assessment of coastal LULC must be viewed through the lens of ecosystem-based adaptation as nature-based solution for sea-level rise in order to establish climate adaptation perspectives that are ingrained in coastal planning and management.