Project Name Coastal Futures Phase I
Acronym Coastal Futures Phase I
Study Region North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein
Principal Investigator Andreas Kannen (Coordinator)
Duration April 1, 2004 - April 30, 2007
Project Website Link to project website
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project is designed to support sustainable development along the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein. It will work on different scales from the North Frisian islands and the counties of Dithmarschen and Nordfriesland (as core investigation area) up to the Wadden Sea and North Sea level used as wider investigation area. International links and policies will be investigated where they have significant impact on local/regional issues. Zukunft Kueste - Coastal Futures involves a total of 50 project partners and consists of four interrelated project modules and 12 sub-projects, each of which is guided by specific research questions. The scientific concept is based on bringing together tools from both natural and social sciences - e.g. scenario techniques, modelling, stakeholder dialogues and Multi-Criteria Analysis - in order to develop planning and management options at the local, regional and national level. Assessments will be based on available data, especially in the natural science domain, modelling exercises (using existing models) and expert assessments. Background will be a comprehensive stakeholder mapping performed as a joint activity of all subprojects. A key theme will be the assessment of interactions resulting from offshore wind farm development, including impacts on ecosystem and habitat structures, the economy and infrastructure, conflicts between stakeholders as well as social values such as perception of the coast by local people. To ensure methodological and conceptual integration, integrated assessment, scenario techniques and indicators (based on the DPSIR approach) form an overall framework. Using wind farms in offshore areas as an example, changing spatial structures through new forms of use are a specific focal point of the project. The project will analyse and evaluate the impact of such developments, on established economic sectors, e.g. tourism as the currently most significant economic factor in the investigation area. At the same time the joint project will use offshore wind park development/mariculture/ tourism as a case study to assess options for implementing multiple use, providing specific suggestions for their implementation and focussing on multifunctional use of coastal space in form of "polycultures". This methodological approach aims to raise local and regional awareness of the complexities surrounding coastal zone decision-making, enabling relevant actors to take into account complex interactions during strategic planning. Apart from a stocktake and comprehensive assessment of interactions, forms of communication play an essential role in implementing integrated management. Different thematic packages therefore focus on analysing, assessing and supporting networking and communication processes, involving different actors on the regional scale as well as interactions between the European, national and regional levels of decision making.
THE PROJECT RELATES TO THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY TOPICS AND SCIENTIFIC THEMES
 

Priority Topics:

1 - Link social and ecological systems in the coastal zone

3 - Link governance and science in coastal regions

 

Scientific Themes:

2 - Implications of Global Change for Coastal Ecosystems and Sustainable Development

5 - Towards Coastal System Sustainability by Managing Land-Ocean Interactions