Sustainable Resilient Coasts (COAST)

Coastal zones are at the frontline of sustainability challenges; arising from the exploitation of natural resources such as fish stocks, loss of cultural heritage, changing demographics, waste disposal, and climate change impacts. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA). The coast is one of the most significant unifying habitats in the region.

It is imperative to build the resilience of coastal communities around the world, and in the Arctic and northern periphery in particular. The project aims to provide a roadmap for protecting, promoting and developing the cultural and natural heritage of sparsely populated and remote coastal communities. Local authorities play a pivotal role in enabling resilience building and coastal sustainability. Expected project results include a COAST Toolbox for local authorities, focusing on Smart Blue Growth, which is based on principles of sustainability, mitigation, planning, adaptation, resilience and transition.

The COAST project seeks to establish the Northern Periphery and Arctic region as a demonstration of how to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the coast. The approach includes four demonstration cases, addressing the challenges of sparsely populated, remote coastal communities. Each case is strongly supported through the partners, associates and letters of support, to ensure effective delivery and implementation at the local authority level. COAST applies a three step conceptual framework called Our Coastal Futures, designed to: i) Enable regional stakeholders and institutions to develop a common understanding of future coastal scenarios; ii) Craft robust strategies for charting a desired coastal future; and iii) Create mechanism to achieve these desired outputs.