Strategic initiatives

What we are doing to reach our main goals

Improve science information for all

Transform our understanding, improve monitoring and prediction, and fill knowledge gaps through coordination, synthesis, and new actions.

What it means

Many people call coastal regions their home, however these areas are highly vulnerable and suffer greatly from human impacts on marine ecosystems. Recognizing the urgent challenges faced by coastal communities, which are amplified by climate change, efforts are underway to develop new science and technology for studying coastal ecosystems and their human dimensions. However, our knowledge of long-term changes and combined effects has been limited until recently.

What we do to achieve it

Contributing to this effort, the DCC-CR focuses on documenting case studies, recommending new science and technology actions, supporting community-based research for coastal resilience, and advising on advancements in coastal science and engineering.

  • Coastal Resilience Webinar Series
    This monthly webinar series, typically held on Tuesdays via Zoom, is organized in collaboration with CMCC and Deltares. Each session focuses on key topics related to coastal resilience and ocean sciences, providing valuable insights from experts in the field. Past events are available for viewing here.
  • Oceanography and Climate Change Project for Liceo Einstein
    In collaboration with the Rimini Blue Lab, we developed a 20-hour PCTO project for Liceo Einstein in Rimini (Italy), focusing on oceanography, climate change, and coastal systems. Students will gain theoretical and practical knowledge through lessons and field measurements, culminating in a report and presentation.
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Enhance stakeholder engagement

Raise awareness, from coastal communities to IOC-UNESCO and its Member States, about actionable science during the Decade

What it means

In an effort to create actionable knowledge for decision-making, new approaches are now being implemented across the academic field where researchers and knowledge-users collaborate and share their expertise to build new, more accessible products.

The objective is promoting meaningful interactions and equitable partnerships throughout the Decade science creation process is a crucial step for a successful and useful stakeholder engagement.

Discover our partners

What we do to achieve it

We involve stakeholders in the development, testing, and adoption of science and technology for coastal resilience resulting from Decade Actions. Through various channels and platforms of engagement, we will work to establish a strong community that can contribute to and support the activities and the innovation created within the Decade.

 

Promote equitable education

Make the findings of the Decade Actions accessible through open access publications and reference catalogs

What it means

Our understanding of marine hazards and the impacts of climate change has increased over the past two decades. However, this knowledge has not been equally shared among different communities, particularly between the Global North and South. To address this imbalance, it is important to develop educational materials and training activities that can prepare and inform the public, early career professionals, and interested practitioners about coastal resilience.

There are challenges in achieving this objective, such as ensuring that training resources are accessible to diverse communities and translating complex concepts into easily understandable content for the general public, including culturally relevant material.

What we do to achieve it

Specific training courses will be organized in collaboration with the Decade Actions to transfer knowledge, enhance capacity, and promote ocean literacy.

  • Discover the Coastal Resilience School
  • ECOPs Workshop on Coastal Resilience: During the CoastPredict and DCC-CR Meeting in Lecce, Italy, from February 3–7, 2025, a workshop will be held for Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs). ECOPs can submit poster abstracts and apply for limited travel funding to support their participation.

Uphold environmental justice for coastal communities

Conduct a thorough literature review and fieldwork on selected cases in the Global South

What it means

Climate change disproportionately affects impoverished and vulnerable coastal communities in the Global South. Achieving coastal resilience requires integrating new scientific concepts with the principles of environmental justice. Environmental justice involves fair distribution of environmental benefits and harms, inclusive participation in decision-making, and recognizing diverse identities and their perspectives on the environment.

What we do to achieve it

This strategic objective is still in its early stages, particularly concerning coastal areas. We argue that a case-study approach using empirical research is necessary to understand the intricate relationship between environmental justice and resilience in practical terms.

What we do

As part of our commitment to advancing environmental justice for coastal communities, we examined the complexities of enhancing resilience in coastal regions while avoiding the reinforcement of existing inequalities.

Read, download and reference our literature review addressing environmental justice in coastal areas on Zenodo.

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