The Edge Magazine - Autumn 2006

8/14/2019 The Edge Magazine - Autumn 2006

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2/162 The edge Autumn 2006

CoastNet breathing new

life into coastal matters

Autumn 2006

Engaging the public

The edgeis a quarterly magazine,

sent out to all CoastNet members.

CoastNet is an international

networking organisation that

works with all coastal interests to

promote the exchange of ideas,

information and expertise to find

long term solutions to coastalproblems that benefit all. Our

mission is to safeguard the worlds

coast and those communities of

people and wildlife that depend

upon it for their future.

Editor: Lesley [email protected]

Designed by: Cottier & Sidaway

Printed by: Gildenburgh Ltd

Submissions

To submit an article for publication, please

email to the editor saving your submission

as a word document. Alternatively, send tothe address below. Letters can be sent to the

editor but we are unable to acknowledge

receipt. The editor reserves the right to editsubmissions.

CoastNet: The Gatehouse,Rowhedge Wharf, High St,

Rowhedge, Essex, CO5 7ET.

Tel/Fax: 01206 728644

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.coastnet.org.uk

CoastNet is governed by an independent

Board of Management and serviced by a

Secretariat.Registered charity no 1055763

Registered as a company limited by

guarantee, company no 3204452

The opinions expressed in the magazine arenot necessarily those of CoastNet.

CoastNet, 2006

3 Editorial

4 News

6 Terms of engagement

How do you engage people beyond mere

knowledge, not only raising their awareness

but changing attitudes, sharing skills and

activating participation? Lisa Browning

investigates.

8 Whatever the weather. Connecting the public

with climate change

Defras Alex Palman talks about the Climate

Change Communications Initiative and key

ways to engage the public on the subject.

10 From ship to shore

Sarah Welton looks at interpretation techniques

for engaging the public in coastal and marine

issues.

12 Am I bovvered?

Is it really worth trying to teach teenagers

about the coast, marine life and sustainable

management rather than focusing on those

younger age groups who are more willing and

enthusiastic to learn? Lesley Smeardon asks

four education professionals their views.

15 Groundworks

A look at the development of the Estuary

Planning Partnership for the Alde and Ore,

aimed at ensuring real community

involvement in decision making.

16 CoastNet events

Contents6

8

12

10


3/16The edge Autumn 2006 3

delivery, education, health

provision, or fighting crime? These

issues are so important in national

policy because this is what

politicians hear from the doorsteps,

see in their mailboxes and know

from the opinion polls and surveys.

And it is because they are of day today importance and affect lives

fundamentally that they are so

important to people.

The coast, of course, is a place

where people live where issues of

health, education, jobs, crime are

as important as anywhere else. But

how much do we actually know

about this context? Do such issues

have particular characteristics onthe coast, such that the coast

might demand special attention?

We have a little insight. East

Lindsey District Council has done

some good work on housing need,

a report from Sheffield Hallam

University analysed the economy

of coastal towns (both reported at

the CoastNet Coastal Communities

conference in 2004), and a UK

Parliamentary committee is

investigating issues surrounding

coastal towns, such as housing,

employment and economic

performance.

EditorialSo much emphasis is placed on involving people, of engaging the public, at alllevels in public service these days, but I wonder how many of us take the time

to question why it is so important.

However, this is but a drop in the

ocean when compared to what we

know about natural coastal systems.

If we are to successfully engage the

public, and thus politicians, in

coastal policy we need to widen

significantly the scope of our

understanding. Since the EstuariesInitiative was launched by English

Nature in 1992, we have had a 14

year environmental campaign for

the coast. The forthcoming Marine

Bill, and national ICZM strategies

mark a significant milestone in that

campaign. Now we need to

complement that with an equally

well-resourced and supported

programme of investigation,

analysis, policy development andawareness raising regarding

the socio-economic characteristics of

the coast. Perhaps the

current Communities and

Local Government Committee

investigation of coastal towns will be

the start of such an initiative.

www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_comm

ittees/odpm/coastalinq.cfm

Alex Midlen,

Chair of CoastNet

At a very superficial level it is

important because government says

it is important and, given that, it is

necessary to fulfil our public service

responsibilities. Of course, where we

are spending the publics money

taxes and lottery funds the public

should also have their say in how itis spent. The lottery takes it a step

further, with a very strong emphasis

on direct public involvement in, and

benefit from, funded activity.

This is all good in principle, and I

know from experience that

involving local people in decision-

making can transform the vociferous

opponent into a responsible,

considered ally. There is anefficiency argument here too.

Engaging the public is hard work

and costly on the face of it, but the

benefits to be gained through more

co-operative decision-making and

consequent reduction in conflict, in

my view, is an argument for

spending a lot more time and money

than we typically do on this activity.

There is however, another argument

for public engagement, and one that

goes right to the heart of coastal

policy. We know that the coast does

not have a high profile in

government, its agencies, or at a

local level. How can we give it a

higher profile and raise the stakes so

that it is on a par with housing



News

Beirut released 15,000 tonnes of fuel

oil into the Mediterranean Sea. Waste

lay uncollected and decaying in the

summer heat. Over 100 bridges

were destroyed and a million people

displaced. Now the offensive and the

blockade are over, the fishermen in

the south are back at work. But so far

their catch has been disappointingly

small; nets have often been filled with

bombs and missile parts. The oil

clean up is painfully slow; only 400

tonnes of spilt fuel oil has so far been

recovered. "What we had here was a

tsunami. That is the only way to

explain it," said one local mayor.

How does ICZM respond to a

catastrophe on this scale? How can

ICZM make a meaningful contribution

to post-war regeneration?

Discussions are already underway on

just those questions.

Brian Shipman, CoastNet Board

member

The Group will establish a forward

thinking (beyond political timescales)

policy agenda for the coast. This will

be achieved through the establish-

ment, promotion and implementation

of a Research Agenda based on the

full complexity of coastal issues.

The CFG aims to become a leading

force in the debate on coastal

sustainability in the UK, Europe andbeyond through examining radical

alternatives to mainstream thinking

and thinking beyond the short term.

July, and Im preparing to visit a

stretch of Mediterranean coastline as

an external advisor for a new ICZM

program.This was one of a number

of areas targeted for the EUs latest

Short and Medium-term Priority

Environmental Action Programme

(SMAP) for the protection of the

Mediterranean environment. But in

July the word target took on a

darker meaning this stretch of

coastline was south Lebanon. My

travel plans were on hold.

By September the Lebanese coast,

which only months before was a

booming international tourist

destination, had, in the words of the

Lebanese Prime Minister, been torn

to shreds by destruction,

displacement, dispossession,

desolation, and death. Israels 34 day

onslaught unleashed some 1.2

million cluster bombs, many of whichnow litter the region unexploded. The

bombing of the storage tanks of the

Jiyyeh power plant to the south of

ICZM in a war zone a personal reflection

In the Next issue ofThe edge:The next issue ofThe edgewill be

looking at the effects of natural

disasters and war on the worlds

coasts. We would be interested to

know of anyone with a story to tell

on this issue, eg any studies

looking at the environmental

effects of war and natural disaster,

but also at regeneration and

rebuilding projects where large

scale devastation has occurred inthe past. Please contact the editor

([email protected]).

The inaugural meeting was held on

12 July 2006 with a small group of

experts to consider the scope and

modus operandiof the CFG. The

group comprised:

Prof Chris Baines (Wildlife Trusts)

Prof Laurence Mee (Plymouth

University)

Clive Gilbert (Independent

consultant and SAIL project)

Dr Pat Doody (Independentconsultant)

Dr Theresa Redding (CoastNet)

Alex Midlen (CoastNet)

Other members of the group include:

Prof Peter Burbridge (Newcastle

University)

Prof Tim ORiordan (Tyndall

Centre for Climate Change)

Peter Kingsley (PJR Ltd)

In the future, project teams will be

established on an ad hocbasis

necessarily in partnership with

research institutes and consultancyfirms, as well as engaging expert

individuals through the CoastNet

network.

CoastNet Futures Group progressThe CoastNet Futures Group (CFG) is a core element of CoastNets four pronged strategy comprising, in addition,

web portal, public engagement and network development.

The Beirut coastline September 2006



News

New communication

resource for coastal

professionalsBetween January and March this

year, CoastNet ran a series of

workshops across the country to

discuss public engagement in coastal

and marine issues. The full report

from these workshops is now

available on the CoastNet website

under publications

(www.coastnet.org.uk).

As part of its ongoing work to

support those coastal professionals

who have a public engagement

remit, CoastNet has also produced a

new resource shortly to be trialed

with a small audience group. Its aim

is to provide a practical, introductory,

dip-in resource guide to good

communication when engaging the

public on coastal and marine issues.

Everyone who attended the

workshops will receive a free copywhen it is finally available but if

anyone else is interested in

receiving a copy, please contact

Theresa Redding at

[email protected].

CoastNets free

contact databaseThanks to all those who responded

to our request to join our freecontacts database. If there is anyone

else who would like to know more

about the database or to join, please

contact Theresa Redding

([email protected]).

New CoastNet Board

membersAt the last CoastNet Board meeting it

was decided that the numbers on themanagement board would be

increased. CoastNet is therefore

asking for applications to join the

Board of Management. Meetings are

held quarterly, in either London or at

the Secretariat in Essex.

Please contact Theresa Redding

([email protected])

or phone 01206 728644 for more

details and for a copy of the Terms

of Reference for board members.

Coastal Partnerships

Working Group

making progressFormal endorsement of this new

working group took place at the Annual

CoastNet Forum in June. The group

met in July to discuss the ICZM

Strategy response to Defra. A proposed

institutional framework for ICZM

delivery was drafted. This is under

further consideration before submission

to Defra as part of the working groups'

response to the English ICZM Strategy.

The next meeting takes

place in October in Newcastle, when

discussion will centre around the AONB

model as a possible route for ICZM

delivery in future.

For further information or

involvement in the group, please

contact us:

Chair: Natasha Barker

(Severn Estuary Partnership)

Email:

[email protected]/

[email protected]

Vice-Chair: Niall Benson (Durham

Heritage Coast Partnership)


Tracey Hewett (Solent Forum Officer)


Also in the news

q Marine and Fisheries Business

Plan 2006-07The Marine and Fisheries Buisness Plan

recently published by Defra sets out the

priorities and activities of Defras new Marine

and Fisheries Directorate, created on 1 April

2006.

q Sea levels rising faster than predicted

warns Antarctic Survey

Professor Chris Rapley, director of the British

Antarctic Survey has warned that global sea

levels caused by climate change are rising

faster than UN scientists predicted only five

years ago. This threatens many of the worlds

coastal and low-lying areas from Bangladesh

to East Anglia.

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment

/article1621770.ece

q DTI announces 4.5 million funding for

Wave power

The Government has announced 4.5 million

funding to support Wave Hub, a wave

power project 10 miles off the Cornish coast.The funding comes from the 50m Marine

Renewables Deployment Fund.

www.gnn.gov.uk

q Algal blooms disrupt holidaymakers

across Europe

Many Europeans reaching their holiday

destinations on the coasts of Italy, Scotland,

Sweden and Denmark this summer found,

not inviting bathing waters, but toxic algal

blooms. The blooms, helped by the recent

hot and calm weather in Europe, were also

assisted by nutrient inputs caused by human

activities.

www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/algal-

blooms-disrupt-holidaymakers-across-europe

q 52 new species in Indonesian reefs

Scientists exploring waters off Indonesias

Papua province have discovered a

remarkable array of new fish and coral

species. The reefs could comprise the worlds

most biologically diverse marine area,according to Conservation International

researchers.

www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2006/2006-

09-18-01.asp



Engagement, engagement, engage-

ment, as Tony Blair might have said.

Education seems to be a dirty word in the

environmental sector these days. It reeks of

the one-way, didactic and teacher-centred

indoctrination of yore. In its place we have

engagement, suggestive of a participant-centred, experiential and thoroughly

modern approach. And yet engagement has

its own baggage, not least the military

connotations. But on closer inspection, its

clear that educators and other practitioners

have been facilitating engagement for

many years.

Nearly 30 years ago, the objectives of

environmental education were outlined by

the Tbilisi Intergovernmental Conferenceon Environmental Education:

Awareness to help social groups and

individuals acquire an awareness and

sensitivity to the total environment and its

allied problems (and/or issues)

Sensitivity to help social groups and2

1

individuals gain a variety of experiences in,

and acquire a basic understanding of, the

environment and its associated problems

(and/or issues)

Attitudes to help social groups and

individuals acquire a set of values and

feelings of concern for the environment

and motivation for actively participating in

environmental improvement and

protection

Skills to help social groups and

individuals acquire skills for identifying and

solving environmental problems (and/or

issues)

Participation to provide social groups

and individuals with an opportunity to be

actively involved at all levels in workingtoward resolution of environmental

problems (and/or issues).

Just as education can be seen as a tool for

promoting engagement, so engagement

can be seen as a tool for achieving

education. Raising awareness, eg through

5

4

3

Terms of EngagementLisa Browning from the Wildlife Trusts takes a look at public education

and engagement in the marine and coastal environment

events such as The Wildlife Trusts Marine

Week, is clearly part of the process, but how

do you take people beyond mere knowledge,

increasing their sensitivity, changing

attitudes, sharing skills and activating

participation? In the marine environment,

this question is even more challenging thanon dry land due to a lack of access and

familiarity. But things are slowly changing,

and there are now more opportunities for

people to engage fully in marine and coastal

conservation and management.

Clearly, all of this activity demands an

enormous amount of time, money and

creativity, but is it actually working? Those

working face to face in the field would surely

give a resounding yes: you just knowwhenyoure getting through. But does the effect

last? Are we really winning hearts and

minds? Does public engagement represent

good value for money when compared

with other approaches to managing

environmental problems? Unfortunately,

due to practical difficulties and cost, most

Coastal survey and species

recording projectsAmong the first projects to appear

were those that sought to engage the

public in marine and coastal survey

work and species recording. Good

examples of current initiatives

include:

Seasearch A habitat survey

programme for divers, co-

ordinated centrally by the Marine

Conservation Society anddelivered locally by Wildlife

Trusts, partnership projects and/or

individual volunteers.

GillieHayball,HampshireandIsleofWightWildlifeTrust

Shoresearch Seasearchs intertidal

sister project, delivered locally by

Wildlife Trusts.

Adopt-a-Beach and Beachwatch.

Beach litter survey programmes

run by the Marine Conservation

Society.

The Great Eggcase Hunt A

mermaids purse survey run by the

Shark Trust.

Seaquest South West A reporting

scheme for large marine fauna, co-

ordinated by the Cornwall and

Devon Wildlife Trusts.

Basking Shark Survey Holidays

Delivered by The Wildlife Trusts

Basking Shark Project.

Projects promoting stewardshipOther initiatives promote a wider

stewardship role, with participants

acting as the eyes and ears of their local

patch of coast, as well as undertaking

specific survey tasks. Examples include:

West Sussex Beach Wardens A

scheme developed by the Nature

Coast Project in partnership with

BTCV.

Thanet Coast Wardens Led by the

Thanet Coast Project.

Projects influencing behaviourSome projects seek to influence

consumer behaviour by offering

sustainable lifestyle choices:


7/16

The edge Autumn 2006 7

engagement projects assess only the

immediate reactions of their participants or

at best the short-term changes in attitudes

and behaviour (measured in months, rather

than years). Even fewer projects have

attempted cost-benefit analysis. Im not

suggesting for one moment that thesetechniques are not effective, but wouldnt it

be great to be able to demonstrate it beyond

all doubt, especially given the perpetual

struggle for funding that many projects

experience? There is also a need for higher

level assessment and monitoring of public

attitudes to the marine and coastal

environment. As a contribution to this goal,

next year The Wildlife Trusts will undertake

a UK-wide public poll on attitudes to marine

protected areas, and we intend to repeat theexercise periodically.

Another area that merits greater attention is

the sharing of good practice among public

engagement practitioners. In January 2005,

The Wildlife Trusts held a UK conference on

Public Understanding of the Marine

Environment, where practitioners identified

actions to make their work more effective.

Following the conference, a working group

was set up to take forward key actions,

including further conferences and

workshops and a dedicated website for

marine education providers.

The range of opportunities and choices for

engaging people in the marine and coastal

environment has expanded greatly with a

community of practitioners sharing ideas

and experiences. What unites these diverse

initiatives is something that is critical to

public engagement: passion. As Antoine de

Saint-Exupery put it:

If you want to build a ship, don't drum uppeople together to collect wood and don't

assign them tasks and work, but rather teach

them to long for the endless immensity

of the sea.

Lisa Browning is Marine Development Manager at

the Wildlife Trusts. Contact her on:

[email protected]

NatureCoastProject

JolyonChesworth

,HampshireandIsleofWightWildlifeTrustDifferent ways to engage. Left to right: Seaside fun at a land-locked site during Marine Week; West Sussex Beach

Wardens; Wildlife Trust volunteers at Westminster.

Projects and organisationsfeatured

Adoptabeach: www.adoptabeach.org.uk

Basking Shark Survey Holidays:

http://baskingsharks.wildlifetrusts.org/holidays.php

Coast: www.arrancoast.co.uk/form.htmFishonline: www.fishonline.org

The Great Egg Case Hunt Shark trust:

www.sharktrust.org/eggcase/index.html

Making the most of the islands:

www.dialoguematters.co.uk/docs/goodpracticeguide.pdf

North East Kent European Marine Sites

management scheme:

www.thanetcoast.org.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=15

Ocean defender:

http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/ocean-defenders

Seaquest South West:

www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature/marine/seaquest.htm

Seasearch: www.searsearch.org.uk

Thanet coast wardens:

www.thanetcoast.org.uk/assets/Wardenleaflet.pdf

West sussex beach wardens:

www.naturecoast.org.uk/beachwardens

Wise scheme: www.wisescheme.org

The Good Fish Guide and

FISHONLINE Two seafood-related

projects run by the Marine

Conservation Society.

Wise Scheme A training and

accreditation scheme for marine

wildlife tourism boat operators.

Advocacy and activism projectsMeanwhile, some organisations are

attempting to engage the public in

advocacy and activism in the marine

and coastal environment:

The Wildlife Trusts Marine Bill

Campaign. A campaign for

Highly Protected Marine Reserves,

including petitions, polls and

letter-writing activities.

Ocean Defenders. Greenpeace is

building a team of activists pushing

for protection of the worlds oceans.

COAST The Community of Arran

Seabed Trusts campaign to protect

Lamlash Bay.

Projects engaging indecision-makingFinally, there are initiatives designed to

engage the public in decision-making on

the coast. Examples include:

North East Kent European Marine

Sites Management Scheme English

Natures management scheme for

this protected area was developed

using innovative engagement

techniques.

Making the Most of the Islands. A

process to engage the local

community in the development of

the Isles of Scilly AONB Statutory

Management Plan for the

Countryside Agency.


8/16

Climate change it has been said

is the most serious issue facing

the world, more so than

terrorism. We now read and hear

about the problem almost daily yet

for many its an issue they can neither

see, nor are affected by or even care

about. So how do we engage those

with an issue which is both

perplexing, overwhelming in scale and

almost invisible on a daily scale?

The Climate ChangeCommunications InitiativeThe Climate Change Communications

Initiative (CCCI) set up by Defra in

2005 aims to shift public attitudes to

climate change so that people are

better placed to take action. It takes its

direction from an evidence-based

strategy which recommends a local

and regional approach among several

other key insights.

While the science is what we rely on

for our understanding, most people

dont react in a rational and logical

way. This makes the communications

of the issue all the more complex. If

we were all completely logical we

should be able to present the facts of

the issue and everyone would jump at

it. But we arent rational. We do

whats convenient, we follow the

considered norms and prioritise

things based on a massive array of

competing factors. Research has also

shown that people are not concerned

about the future of their children

when it comes to climate change.

This is because they perceive the

impacts to be in the distant future

and in reality there are more urgent

current concerns, such as education.

Keeping it positiveClimate change is an issue which is

about people. As we know,

temperatures are increasing and a raft

of devastating effects will continue to

be felt. Sea level rise, increased

frequency and potency of storms,

accelerated desertification, increased

propagation of tropical diseases just to

name a few. But this is where the

problem begins. These

overwhelmingly negative impacts are

exactly why people switch off. Its just

too difficult to deal with. What could I

do to solve this/these problems?

Whatever the weatherConnecting the public with climate change issuesAlex Palman talks about Defras Climate Change Communications Initiative,

identifying key ways to engage the public.

Change the channel, watch something

else; its easier and less depressing.

Taking a positive approach which

engenders involvement and

empowerment are two cornerstones to

the CCCI approach.

So how do you make a seemingly

disaster-strewn topic positive? Firstly

by showing that the problem can be

surmounted and secondly by showing

that people are tackling it. The holy

grail is to make those actions

aspirational, high status and cool.

Were not there yet, but thats the goal.

For example, in Germany the social

status of behaviours associated with

recycling are very high if you dont

recycle, youre a social leper.

A positive development is the shift in

the media that took place about a year

ago. The balance of media reports up

to around September last year would

always caution that climate change

was unproven and still being debated

by scientists. The tone now is that this

issue is upon us and has been

researched and proven to a level

second only to Newtons second law

of motion.

Keeping it localKeeping the issue home not away is

also key. Research shows that when an

issue is situated in another country or

on the other side of the world its

easier to just change the channel

thinking, thats terrible, somebody

should do something about that.

Giving a human face is central to

engaging the public. The Climate

Change Champions recently

travelled to Switzerland to

investigate two glaciers. Here

they are standing where theglacier would have been in the

year of their birth.

8 The edge Autumn 2006



Making climate change a local or

regional issue gives it more relevance.

More importantly, by having a human

face the issue is moved from one of

graphs, tables and computer forecasts

to something which is more tangible

and real.

The CCCI has recently funded 80

local and regional communications

projects across England. Each project

is picking up the issue in a way that

makes it more accessible to people

from those areas. In some cases

specific audiences have been targeted;

youth, ethnic groups, educators, to

name a few.

Keeping it personalAnother insight which has fed in to

our strategy is the need for faces and

personalities to champion/lead on the

issue. This is a difficult challenge as

most respected spokespeople tend to

emerge naturally and gain credibility

from their efforts rather than their

celebrity status. Unfortunately there

are no Sir Bob Geldofs or Nelson

Mandelas leading the cause. So before

well known faces emerge, we decided

to grow our own.

The Climate Change Champions

Project kicked off in January 2006

with a youth competition to find

nine champs one for each region of

England. Entrants had to prepare a

news report about climate change in

their region, and those that made the

semi-finals were interviewed. The

winning champions have since

visited 10 Downing Street and asked

questions of Sir David King, met the

Secretary of State for Environment

and the Prime Minister. More

The visual impact of using the coast

The coast gives a visual immediacy to

climate change thats often difficult to

achieve in other areas of peoples lives.

This was exploited well in the low tide

event at Birling Gap, 2005. Working with

a group of environmental artists (Red

Earth), the National Trust demonstrated in

a very visual and dramatic way, the

effects of coastal erosion. A line of

pebbles were used to mark where the

cliffs stood 1978 years ago giving animmediate physical and local impact of

climate change.

recently they travelled by train to

Switzerland to investigate climate

change effects on two glaciers. They

are now back in their own regions

actively taking the issue to a broad

range of groups including schools,

local authorities, and community

groups. The media uptake has been

phenomenal between them these

10 -17 yr olds have been on a huge

range of regional radio and TV

stations, and in most of the regional

press resulting in the issue being

portrayed positively and with a sense

of purpose, that is both important

and relevant for locals.

By associating climate change with

people and keeping it very much a

local and regional issue people in the

regions have been engaged. The plan

now is to keep up the momentum by

providing more useful information and

resources for people to tackle the issue.

RedEarth:Geograph(Trace)2005

Alex Palman is Climate Change

Communications Manager at Defra.

For more details of the CCCI, go to

www.climatechallenge.gov.uk

Quick summaryPoints to keep in mind for

organisations engaging the

public with climate change:

As low tech, low science as

possible.

Keep the issue home, not

away tap into local/regional

issues.

Always positive only use

fear if you provide a means

to address the problem.

Make the issue relevant to

the audience on their terms.

Dont rely on concern for

children/human future.



Lots of people visit the coast in

holiday mood with time to

explore an environment that is

different from home. To most of us,

the nearest we can get to hands-on

with the marine environment is rock-

pooling or visiting an aquarium we

cannot see or get to grips with what isbelow low water mark. How many

people realise that the underwater

seascape is like the landscape we are

familiar with? Reefs and gullies are like

ridges and valleys, seagrass beds and

kelp forests like grassy plains and

woodland and the wildlife doesnt stop

at low water mark. The coast is a

valuable link between our terrestrial

world and the sea.

Most of us are aware of the need for

conservation on land, but marine

conservation is lagging far behind

out of sight, out of mind, perhaps.

Interpreting this unfamiliar world and

human impacts on it is a challenge

but the plus side is that the sea is full

of mystery. Who isnt excited by the

fact that we still know so little about

what is under the sea?

If we want people to appreciate and

understand coastal and marinewildlife, be concerned about its

conservation and take some

individual responsibility, it is

important to select the best

mechanisms to get our messages

across. Whatever our age, we learn

when there is active involvement

people retain about 10 per cent of

what they hear, 30 per cent of what

they read, 50 per cent of what they see

and 90 per cent of what they do, so weneed to get people involved.

With modern technology and more

traditional methods at our disposal,

how can we engage people and share

How can we engage people and share the secrets of the sea? Sarah Welton looks at

interpretation techniques for engaging the public in coastal and marine issues.

Ship to Shore

Glass bottom boat, The Fleet

Observer runs trips on the Fleet

Lagoon in Dorset, the largest

saline lagoon in the UK, giving

people an up close and personal

experience of the lagoons many

marine and animal species. It is

managed by the Fleet andSwannery Trust, and is operated

on a not-for-profit basis.



the secrets of the sea? Printed

interpretive materials might sound old

hat but as marine life is so colourful

and eye-catching, they can be a good

way of getting messages across to a large

audience, if resources are limited. A

trick worth remembering is that if you

want people to be attracted to a picture

of the natural world, however stunning,

include a person somewhere in the

picture subliminal but it really works!In such a watery place, water-proof

guides are a good idea laminated for

the beach or printed on plastic for sea

use!

Helping people to explore marine and

coastal environments and see the

plants and animals for themselves has

got to be a priority at an accessible

coastal site. There are ways to do this to

suit all budgets. Again guided walksand trails might seem old-fashioned but

they are still as popular as ever, raise

funds and provide the opportunity to

get your messages across. Tools to help

people look more closely when

exploring rockpools and shallow water

are a reverse periscope (easily made

from drain pipe, Perspex and a small

mirror), with which to peep under over-

hangs and masks so that participants

can lie on rocks or ledges and see whatsnorkellers see without getting their

feet wet Snorkelling for Softies.

When it comes to the offshore

perspective, it is a bit more of a

challenge. Boat trips, plankton trawls,

lifting submerged objects, eg a lobster

pot, lifted from the seabed all help to

understand what lies beneath the

waves. It is often assumed that a glass-

bottomed boat will only work in the

tropics but The Fleet Observer in

Dorset is proof that it can work here,

too.

Access to the beach a problem?Remote techniques at coastal centres

are the next best thing. Aquaria,

touch tanks, touch tables, video

(recorded or real-time), digital inter-

actives, hydrophones the scope is as

endless as your budget and they bring

the environment to the visitor.

Events with a marine and coastal

theme SeaFest, Fish Festivals, Marine

Week are an opportunity tocommunicate to a huge audience.

Real-time underwater video, games and

activities, displays and demonstrations

dont just interpret the natural world

but also conservation issues.

There are lots of good examples of

coastal interpretation. What they have

in common is they tell stories, are

relevant to everyday experience, arouse

curiosity and above all are enjoyableand dont have to be hi-tech. The best

way to convey messages is one person

talking to another and if you can

involve the public in on-going

projects, they are hooked.

The sea is mysterious, exciting and fun,

however, too often out of sightout of

mind. We can all share the secrets of

the sea.

Sarah Welton, Marine and Coastal Education,

Interpretation and Training


Snorkelling for softies

PurbeckMarineWildlifeRescue

VictoriaCopley

Fisherman making traditionallobster pots at WeymouthFish Festival



Its May and my family is at one of

the Low Tide Day free, fun days

out which has advertised the usual

coastal activities: boat trips, rock

pooling, face painting, badge making

etc. For now, however, the rain is

coming down in bucket loads and,

surprise, surprise, my kids, in wellies,

raincoats and hats, have begun to

moan that theyre getting wet and

cold and want to go home.

Partly protected by a marquee, my five

year old daughter, while queuing to

have her face painted, spots a

fearsome creature in a container next

to her a huge lobster. What is

THAT? she positively squeals at me,

physically squirming at this unknown

beastie. Before I can answer, she spots

a large crab and by now just cant

contain her excitement. Luckily, there

are people on hand to explain all

about these creatures and how, they

too, live locally. She is entranced for

the few minutes that her attention

span allows before returning to the

face painting task in hand.

On the way home she turns to me

and says that she just cant believe

there are all these creatures living in

the sea. Not any sea, mind you, but

the sea just a few miles away from

where we live fancy that! One

simple, visible display, and the sea

suddenly comes alive for her.

Of course, take a teenager along to do

the same thing, and its unlikely

youll get a similar reaction. And

with overtly caricatured popular

images of the teenager as espoused

by the likes of Catherine Tate or

Harry Enfield in the Lauren and

Kevin sketches, youd be hard pushed

to find anything to inspire and

enthuse them. So why bother? Is it

possible to interest teenagers who are

not already enthused by coastal

issues or better to focus on a younger

age group? I asked four education

professionals their views.

Jason Birt,

Falmouth Marine School

Some of our keenest students in the

past have been those from the middle

of the country whose only experience

of the coast is from their summer

holidays, says Jason Birt from the

Falmouth Marine School in Cornwall.

We run BTEC Nationals in Marine

Biology and Ecology (based on the

Countryside Management BTEC) for

over 16 year -olds teaching marine

biology primarily and so our focus is

generally this older age group. When

they start our courses, many of our

students dont know what they want to

Am I bovvered?Is it really worth trying to teach teenagers about the

coast, marine life and sustainable management? Why

not focus on the under 10s who are still interested

and enthusiastic about the environment, soaking up

knowledge like a sponge? Get the resources right for

the age group, says Lesley Smeardon, and anyone

can have their imagination and excitement fired.

Students from Falmouth Marine

School on the PADI dive course.


13/16

do as a career. But over 50% end up

progressing on to higher education,

mostly reading marine biology with a

strong zoology element. They also tend

to develop a new found passion about

coastal and environmental issues

which they keep with them, no matter

what they do. So yes, you definitely

can interest young people in coastal

and marine issues, although they have

to be intrigued in the first place.

So what attracts young people to do

these courses? Our courses have a

high practical and interactive nature

to them, with a residential trip, field

visits and practicals playing a large

part, says Birt. In addition we also

offer subsidised opportunities to take a

PADI dive qualification which has

proved really popular. Students have

been competely blown away after

seeing first-hand the dramatic change

between a rocky shore at low tide and

the same area underwater at high tide.

The messages really do sink in.

Naomi Biggs,

Thanet Coast Project

Naomi Biggs is Education Officer with

the Thanet Coast Project and her role

is to engage audiences who wouldn't

normally get involved in coastal

projects. She is only too aware of the

need to engage young people.

Through working with excluded

teenagers, Ive seen the effects of what

'giving up' on children does, says

Biggs. I have worked with children

around 13 years old who are

constantly excluded from lessons

through bad behaviour. Initially,

taking them to the beach for a school

visit was a shock to their system, but

once I gained a little bit of trust, they

actually got very involved in the

coastal visits that I ran. I think the

hands-on aspect of rockpooling was

perfect for them.

Its true we have struggled to get

individual teenagers involved in our

regular public events programme

which include activities such as

rockpooling, sand/environmental art

and guided walks, although these are

really popular with the younger age

groups. Unless you work with existing

groups, its difficult to get teenagers to

come along. I naively once tried

organising a youth beach clean,

publicising widely and expecting

teenagers to turn up of their own

accord, but the only young people to

come were part of an organised group

the Millennium Volunteers. Now, I

find linking into existing youth groups

is the best way to go, putting more

time into the event rather than

publicity in the hope that well get

people turning up.

A really successful project we ran in

this way, for example, was a hands-on

art day where young people designed

and made a Nature Trail. They then

helped to run the trail as an event at a

later date. I now also have a great

resource that I use on a regular basis

and could never have made it look so

good myself!

Lissa Goodwin, Marine biologist

Marine Biologist Lissa Goodwin has

worked with schools for a number of

different organisations, including the

British Divers Marine Life Rescue, the

Marine Connection and the

University of Plymouth. I have

found that 10-11 yrs (Year 6) are

really keen, absorb everything like a

sponge and take a lot of energy to

work with she says. By 13-14 they

are harder work, but by 15-16+ things

are turning around again and most

are good to work with. Ive even

found 16-17 year olds who have

never been rockpooling before

suddenly engaged in the activity and

desperate to know more.

The way you approach different age

categories has to be geared to their

level of knowledge, taking into

consideration their background, ie do

they come from a coastal community

where the beach would be common

place, or are they land-locked? But

dont always assume that if they come

from the coast they will know about it.

I am frequently amazed that parents

living by the sea do not make more

use of it and have found children in

Plymouth and Penzance who have

never been rockpooling. You just have

to make some judgments on the day

about the take home messages which

you are going to try to get across.

Jonathan Potts, The National

Maritime Museum

A new marine education programme

about to open its doors to scores of 11-

16 year olds in January is being run by

the National Maritime Museum

(NMM) with funding from The Crown

Estate. The programme is unique in

that is has developed the first stand-

alone, curriculum-led resources

specifically relating to marine and

coastal issues.

At the moment, says Jonathan Potts

of the NMM, the National

Curriculum (in England and Wales)

doesnt have any distinct, marine and

coastal resources. You have to drag

issues from other areas of the

curriculum. Our aim is to redress this

by providing schools with distinct

marine and coastal resources based on

the geography, science and citizenship

areas of the National Curriculum.

The programme has been piloted with

teachers and is due for its first visitors

in January 2007. But why choose this

age group specifically? As Potts

explains: After engaging external

consultants to look at the optimum

age group for coastal and marine

education, we agreed to focus on 11-

16 years olds (key Stage 3 and 4). The

concepts around marine and coastal

The edge Autumn 2006 13

Lissa Goodwin (far right) with

students on a British Divers Marine

Life Rescue training course.

BDMLR



issues, such as sustainable use and

management, climate change,

biodiversity are hugely complex for

small children to get their heads round

and are much better suited to this age

group. At the National MaritimeMuseum we try to promote a balanced

view of sustainable resource

management and equitable use of

resources, encouraging debate and

discussions with our school children.

Debates and discussions work

fantastically well for 11-16 year olds as

they are at the time in their

development where they are really

beginning to form their own ideas and

are keen to express themselves.

So what resources is the NMM

providing for this age group?

Research indicates that young people

can suffer from ecoburnout,

comments Potts. They know about

climate change, sustainabledevelopment etc but what empowers

them is the debate and relating the

issues back to their life. Our

programme aims to do this. As

mentioned, we include debates and

discussions and will be using actor

interpreters to take on various

roles such as Government employee,

industrialist, conservationist to help

with this. The involvement of The

Crown Estate brings additional marineresource management, knowledge

and expertise as well as an extensive

network of contacts. We also have a

number of hands-on activities, gallery

trails and a chance to spend 20

minutes talking to an expert from the

marine community for real hands-on

experience with the issues.

Our new gallery Your ocean, which

took 2.5 years to put together, isspecifically intended to help relate the

ocean to everyday life. In it, we

include everyday objects and the links

they have to the ocean. For example,

we explain how tomato ketchup

contains carrageen, a red/green algae

and even mobile phones contain

manganese found on the ocean floor.

Were not saying resource use is a bad

thing but its important that people

begin to make the connectionsbetween the everyday things they use

and how this might impact on other

areas of the world.

While we are cautious about giving

too much of a technology focus to the

programme, as research has shown

that children can suffer from IT

overload, we have invested in a new

video conferencing suite, and have

facilities for webcasts and blogs. Forus, its all about helping this age group

to form their own opinions by giving

them information that is relevant to

them and allowing them to interact

with the issues. Hopefully this will lead

to a lifelong interest in our oceans and

how we can manage them at a

sustainable level

Engagement for any age?For my daughter, her touch tank

experience was a great first step in her

understanding of the coastal and

marine world. And what is hugely

clear from the few insights given here

is that by getting the resources right,

older age groups can tackle, with great

intelligence and innovation, the

hugely complex and interconnecting

issues of sustainable resource use,

management, climate change and

conservation. Give the right stimulus

and people really can be bovvered.

The Your ocean website from

the NMM provides an excellent,

interactive, online resource for

11-16 year olds.

Tips for engaging older children

Make it a hands-on experience,

inspiring and memorable.

Use new approaches but dont

dismiss traditional ones.

Develop the activity with your

audience to make it feel relevant

and to encourage a sense of

ownership.

Relate the issues back to peoples

own lives, eg the marine-derived

ingredients in products they use

Keep activities interactive. Present a

physical challenge and include

teamwork.

All ages respond well to praise and

recognition of being part of

something.

Work with established organisations,

such as schools and youth groups

rather than going it alone.

Organisations featured

The National Maritime Museum

The website provides an excellent,

interactive, online resource for including

quizzes and information about the ocean

www.nmm.ac.uk/yourocean

The Falmouth Marine School

The School runs a number of courses for

young people including the BTEC national

diplomas and national certificate in

marine biology and ecology

www.college-falmouth.ac.uk

Thanet coast

The website contains a learning zone with

information and resources for more

information and formal education.

www.thanetcoast.org.uk

Marine Connection

www.marineconnection.org

British Divers Marine Life Rescue

www.bdmlr.org.uk

University of Plymouth

www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.a

sp?page=11406



Throughout the UK a recurring

problem when managing the coast is

a lack of trust and understanding

between the community and external

agencies responsible for decision

making. This problem has been

keenly felt in the case of the flood

management strategy reviews that the

Environment Agency is conducting

around the country. Its clear thatcommunication and consultation are

vital for new planning and

management but, how do we go

about this? The Estuary Planning

Partnership set up in Suffolk is an

excellent example of public

engagement in the local issue of flood

management, giving real

empowerment to individuals. Erin

Pettifer speaks to Bill Parker about this

partnership.

Why was this partnershipset up?The Alde and Ore on the Suffolk coast

is protected through a range of

international and national

designations and is greatly valued by

local people. The community was

concerned that the interests of those

who live by, work or use the river for

recreation were not being adequately

represented in flood management

reviews taking place in the area.

In 2002, The Suffolk Coast & Heaths

Unit obtained an independent

perspective from external consultants

with a key recommendation to providea forum for local communities and

statutory authorities to communicate.

Whos involved?The partnership is made up of over 20

organisations. The steering group, led

by Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit,

includes volunteers representing local

towns and parishes, sailing clubs and

lobby groups as well as representatives

from government agencies,landowners and conservation bodies.

Initial funding came from the Alde

and Ore Association, Suffolk Coast

and Heaths Unit and Suffolk Coastal

District Council among others.

What is the value of the group?The group acts as a discussion forum

and facilitates the exchange of

information about estuary issues

between the community and thedecision makers. The analogy is that

it acts as an old fashioned telephone

exchange, making connections and

managing the communication of

information.

The partnership has improved

understanding of the issues and facts

and encouraged people to see things

from others viewpoints. It has also

prompted innovative thinking andenabled a wide range of people to be

involved in decision-making and

genuinely drive forward issues.

Having a paid estuary officer to

support the group has been essential,

enabling more to be achieved. The

officer delivers any actions identified

by the group, brings in experience

from other estuaries and expertise in

coastal management, and acts as an

advocate for the Partnership.

Value of the Estuary PlanningPartnership for the Alde and Orea key role in improving

communication and

understanding between all those

who live near, work on or enjoy

the estuary...

David Andren, The Alde and Ore Association.

What key things have made thepartnership a success?

1 External perspective sought.2 Spent year working towards consensus

on groups remit.

3 Wider community endorsement and

support sought through a community

conference.

4 Meetings and the partnership in general

run in an open and honest manner, and

everyones views heard.

5 Met on neutral ground.

6 Ensured real tasks to take forward after

meetings.7 Interested community members used to

drive group forward.

8 Time spent brainstorming who ought to

be involved to ensure all unterests

represented.

The Estuary Planning Partnership is a

model for real community

involvement but it is not without its

costs and it is a long-term investment.

If it can retain its credibility, at thelocal level and with the wider

agencies, it should have a future but

will the commitment from the various

powers stay the course?

Groundworks A regular look at the work ofcoastal partnerships

Real community involvement

in decision-making

Shingle Street,The Alde-OreEstuary, Suffolk.


16/16

CoastNet events

Conferences

The EU Green Paper on a Future Maritime

Policy the objectives, potential implicationsand challenges

Location:The Marine Institute, Galway, IrelandDate: 8 November 2006

The green paper regarding Maritime Policy for the EU

(http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy_en.html ) sets

out many critical challenges for the Commission and the

EU Member States.

The Lisbon Agenda (growth and Jobs) is clearly reflected

in the references to innovation, knowledge andtechnology, competitiveness, skills and employment,

clustering and so on.

However, the Gothenburg agenda (sustainable

development) also permeates the document, with

references to environment, quality of life, environmental

risk and more.

The challenges are great in bringing all these aspects

together in a policy framework which truly reflects the

principles of sustainable development. To what extent can

the environment be enhanced, but also exploited for

tourism for example? Can we increase the attractiveness

of coastal areas at the same time as developing maritime

industries? To what extent is environmental risk a threat to

competitiveness?

These questions and more will be explored in this

conference, which includes speakers from the EU

Commission outlining the content of the Green Paper. The

conference is delivered by CoastNet as part of the

Interregfunded Corepoint project and is supported by the

Marine Institute and the EU Commission Representation

Office in Ireland. Conference outputs will be submitted to

the EU as part of the response to the consultation on theGreen Paper.

Making the best use of existing policy

tools in the delivery of ICZM

Location: French Ministry for Research, ParisDate: 8 December 2006

One of the fundamental principles of ICZM is to bring

together local institutions, agencies and users to agree

common management objectives and appropriate

management measures. However, to ensure consistency

in management between different regions it is important

to have common strategic frameworks at higher levels

i.e. a national policy for ICZM. Are policy mechanisms

already in place to support ICZM or are there issues

which need addressing?

In this conference we to aim highlight local case studies

from different regions e.g. Gulf of Morbihan and other EU

countries. The speakers will consider the adequacy of

management tools available at the local level in relation

to delivering ICZM, the national response to the EU ICZM

recommendation and the challenges to implementing a

national ICZM strategy.

Water framework

directive and spatial planning on the coastLocation: CardiffDate: January 2007

SEA Directive andcoastal spatial strategies

Location: NewcastleDate: March 2007

Registration enquiries for all conferences to

[email protected]

CoastNet emails:

Theresa Redding;[email protected]

Pat Stitt;

[email protected]

Lesley Smeardon;

[email protected]

Manuela Delosrios;

[email protected]

This publication is partially funded through the Corepoint

project under the Interrreg 3B Programme. Corepoint aims

to establish North West Europe as an internationally

recognised region of excellence in coastal management

by encouraging full implementation of ICZM, highlighting

best practice, providing education by influencing nationalspatial policies for further details please see

http://corepoint.ucc.ie

s For information on any of the conferences listed

please contact CoastNet on 01206 728644 or by email

[email protected]

Documents

The Edge Magazine - Autumn 2006