Connecting global coastal resilience efforts with local communities through science and citizen engagement
Published on 03 April 2026 | Events
On 11 April 2026, the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience, together with the CMCC Foundation, will take part in the National Day of the Sea in Rimini(Italy), an initiative coordinated by the Rimini Blue Lab, a strategic partner of the DCC-CR.
The participation reflects a key principle guiding the Centre’s activities: while operating within an international framework such as the UN Ocean Decade, coastal resilience cannot be addressed without a strong connection to local contexts. Global challenges—such as climate change, coastal risks, and ecosystem degradation—are experienced and managed at the local level, where communities, practitioners, and stakeholders directly interact with marine environments.
In this perspective, engaging with territories is not complementary but essential. Initiatives like the National Day of the Sea offer an opportunity to translate scientific knowledge into practice, fostering dialogue between research, local communities, and sea users.
In a country like Italy, where the sea has historically shaped culture, economy, and identity, celebrating the marine environment also means reflecting on its current and future role. Today, Italian coastal regions are at the forefront of Mediterranean challenges, including climate impacts, environmental pressures, and the need for sustainable development pathways. Strengthening awareness and participation is therefore a crucial step towards more resilient coastal systems.
The event, coordinated by the Rimini Blue Lab, includes a rich programme of activities for students, citizens, and local stakeholders, combining education, outreach, and hands-on engagement with the marine environment.
Within this framework, the contribution of the DCC-CR, developed together with the CMCC Foundation and Università of Bologna, will focus on a marine citizen science workshop, designed to connect scientific observation with real-world coastal experiences.
The morning session, hosted at the spiaggia libera in Rimini, will include a practical activity at sea, where participants will collect environmental data using sensors installed on surfboards. This will be followed by a demonstration of data download, visualisation, and interpretation, providing direct insight into how observational data can support the understanding of marine conditions.
The afternoon session, hosted at the Club Nautico Rimini, will continue with a theoretical and practical workshop dedicated to the tools and opportunities of citizen science applied to the marine environment. Topics will include climate change, observational systems, and environmental data platforms, engaging a broad audience of citizens, practitioners, and local stakeholders such as surfers, sailors, divers, and associations