Actors and Responsibilities in Coastal Risk: A Literature Review

Affiliation: CIMA - Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, University of Algarve, Aquatic Research Network (ARNET)

Address: University of Algarve, Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal

 

ABSTRACT

In 2021, approximately 2.4 billion people lived in coastal areas. These populations, along with their environments, face escalating risks from climate hazards and ongoing development. Under a pessimistic perspective of increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, due to climate change, there is a need to implement disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures. Communicating risks and engaging with local populations should be part of DRR plans to ensure the safety of coastal communities.  Communication about coastal risk, and about the coast more generally, should be made strategically, efficiently and with the intention to build coastal literacy. However, the definition of coastal literacy is still an ongoing process by the team of SYREN Project – a research initiative committed to improving coastal risk communication.  To date, the concept was framed under seven key principles, namely: coasts are unique and valuable (Principle 1); composed of interconnected parts (Principle 2); constantly changing over time (Principle 3); influenced by human activities and vice-versa (Principle 4); inherently hazardous and capable of posing risks (Principle 5); affected by climate change (Principle 6); and there is shared responsibility to look after coasts, for present and future generations (Principle 7).

This work presents the results from a literature review on coastal literacy principle 7, particularly the  coastal actors, focused on enhancing the understanding of responsibilities involved in ‘looking after’ coasts. The process allows for the identification of key actors responsible for ensuring that coasts are managed in ecological, economic and socially sustainable ways.  This includes recognising the differing roles and stakes of groups such as residents, policy administrators, property developers and others.

Two distinct forms of responsibility related to looking after coasts were identified. The first pointed to actors responsible for causing or amplifying damage, such as coastal development companies, hard infrastructure project builders, and major carbon-emitting industries. The second concerned actors who are or feel responsible for protecting and managing coasts, including communities and governmental bodies. Finally, the review considered challenges of responsibility across regional and temporal scales. It emphasised that coastal management strategies must go beyond local problem-solving to incorporate cross-border, recognitional, and intergenerational justice, highlighting that responsibility extends across regions and toward past and future generations. Overall, the analysis of actors and responsibilities helps clarify what it means to have a ‘shared responsibility’ for looking after coasts.

 

Acknowledgements: This study contributes to the project SYREN (Ref. ALGARVE-FEDER-00853600-SYREN-17135), funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Programa Operacional Regional do Algarve, and Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa.