CoastNet Special
S
ince its beginnings in 1995,
CoastNet has been championing
long term solutions to coastal
problems, working with all coastal
interests for a truly sustainable coast
that benefits both people and wildlife.
Our long term vision of a thriving coast
that supports the many communities
of people and wildlife that depend
upon it, requires local, national,
regional and international action – all
areas we work in to realise our long
term goals.
Local
Empowering local voices
CoastNet has been involved in a
number of different projects,
supporting and running local events
related to Low Tide Day as well as
supporting local coastal professionals
through various public engagement
workshops. Now CoastNet is running
an exciting project ‘Holding back the
tide’ which will span 2008 and 2009
and collect coastal stories from people
around the East Anglian coastline – see
page 7-9.
Understanding industry
CoastNet works with a wide network of
coastal interests including those
representing various coastal industries.
See our report, Offshore Development –
new frontiers of opportunity on our
website. Look out for an APPG on
energy at the coast and read about our
fisheries work on P10.
6 The Edge Summer 2008
CORE project, CoastNet will be
National developing scenarios to guide the
development of future policies for the
Coastal and marine
region’s coast.
education network
From its inception 13 years ago,
European
CoastNet has been involved in coastal
education and now we are setting up
Involvement in European
a coastal education network, a chance
programmes
for those professionals to share
European coastal programmes with
information and discuss issues in a new
broad based project partnerships
coastal and marine education forum,
present a unique opportunity for
see p12.
coastal managers everywhere. They
offer a chance to share approaches to
All Party Parliamentary
coastal management and learn from
Group on Coastal and Marine
Issues (APPG)
systems elsewhere to take back and
adapt to a local/national scenario.
We recognise the need to influence and
CoastNet is currently involved in the
maintain avenues of communication
delivery of two European projects:
with those political decision makers
Imcore and Encora, both of which are
who are able to bring about real
discussed in the context of
change. That is why in 2006 we helped
communications on p13.
set up the APPG, recognising a clear
gap in communication channels and a
A varied conference
clear aim to debate and recommend
programme
coastal and marine solutions to
CoastNet has taken its rich conference
Members.
programme to a European audience,
holding eight conferences in venues
Governance consultancy
across North West Europe.
Good governance lies at the core of
integrated coastal zone management.
International
CoastNet supports organisations
by providing advice and access to
African scoping study
good practice. In North West Wales
At the international level, CoastNet has
we are supporting CCW and other
recently undertaken a Moroccan and
stakeholders to integrate the
African scoping study and is now
management of the Menai Straight
seeking funding to run a full scale
and Conwy Bay marine conservation
project supporting fishermen and their
area with regional regeneration
families and ecotourism in Northern
programmes. In the East of England,
Morocco. See p15 for more details.
with partners in the EU Interreg IM-