Coastal TALES, Telling Adaptation: Living Environmental Stories for Coastal Resilience
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Department Name: Archaeology, History and Anthropology
Abstract
Coastal TALES asks: How can stories of past practices help people rediscover more sustainable ways of living in their rapidly changing coastal environments? Our goal is to show how heritage stories can be used to create tangible local action that individuals everywhere can enact to help adapt to the changing climate. To explore this we use transdisciplinary methods, which bring together the knowledge and expertise of local communities in combination with academic skills working across disciplinary boundaries, to focus on three northern coastal regions: Alaska, Ireland and Wales. People are feeling the results of the climate changing and are asking what they can do on the ground, but many actions now feel insufficient and are predicated on undertakings that have little perceptible local effect. This research therefore attends to the growing social need to understand how individuals can address the effects of the climate changing at home. It provides examples of how stories can be transformed into tangible action in different locations and offers creative inspiration to those who want to actively adapt sustainably. Coastal TALES collaborates with societal partners to understand heritage stories are driving action in education, policy and local nature-based innovation.
Publications
Thomas, G.
Laver Seaweed: A Slippery History of Laverbread on Gower
in Gower Society Journal
| Title | Coastal TALES |
| Description | 2-minute video in which the PI and Co-I discussed the aims of the Coastal TALES project (including the work of our consortium partners in the US and Ireland) and the importance of engaging with intangible heritage knowledge as a means of adapting to climate change. This was developed to be shown in the an event on November 21-22 at the Green Zone of COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event, provisionally titled "Bio-Cultural Heritage for the Future: Mobilizing the Past for Climate Resilience", aims to highlight how cultural heritage can contribute to climate action. The films shown in this event showcased the Climate and Cultural Heritage Call of the Belmont Forum. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The film was well received at COP29. It was shown continuously during the event alongside eight other project videos from the same CCH call. All nine videos were on rotation throughout the event, ensuring broad exposure to a diverse audience. The event attracted over 100 participants, including government representatives, researchers, and international delegates. While there is not precise data on the number of viewers for each video, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The film will also be showcased on the website of a forthcoming biocultural heritage event, co-organized by JPI Climate, JPI Cultural Heritage, and the Centre for Functional Ecology at the University of Coimbra in April 2025. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjWVuaXkSYc |
| Title | Coastal TALES: Telling Adaptation: Living Environmental Stories for Coastal Resilience |
| Description | 90 second showreel showcasing some of the preliminary fieldwork in Wales in 2024 made for the UK Pavilion in COP29. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The video was part of a loop of videos showcasing UK Government supported programmes at COP29, Azerbaijan, Mon, 11 Nov 2024 - Fri, 22 Nov 2024. It was shown in the UK Pavilion in the Blue Zone (used for numerous different events). Only Party delegations, Heads of State, admitted observers and the accredited press can enter the blue zone. The video was also shown as part of a provocation in the AHRC-British Council-DCMS-UNESCO Cultural Heritage and Climate workshop in February 2025, viewed by around 50 participants from UK universities, the British Council, AHRC, UK UNESCO and a representative from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. |
| Description | UK Government Inquiry on, The environmental and economic legacy of Wales' industrial past |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8744/the-environmental-and-economic-legacy-of-wales-industrial... |
| Description | UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Governing Council |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Title | Transdisciplinary model for sustainability science |
| Description | The research in Coastal TALES is humanities informed and transdisciplinary. It aims to develop robust and inclusive methods of knowledge production to deliver real-world solutions. Our methodology recognises that to develop meaningful and inclusive solutions to complex social problems, no knowledge system should claim a priori superiority. It recognises the importance of articulating embodied and place-based solutions that frequently are not incorporated within the academic domain. Our transdisciplinary approach builds upon anthropologically informed participation observation for sharing insights across the social/academic divide and the importance of braiding these knowledges, allowing the distinctiveness of individual perspectives to come together and produce a new way of understanding the world. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This transdisciplinary approach enriches understandings of the complexities we are investigating. It has levelled the field between the academic researchers and our societal partners, allowing for more robust, engaged and frank discussions. These are feeding into greater confidence for our partners working with us. |
| Description | AHRC-British Council-UNESCO UK-DCMS Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Event: Reflections from the Projects and Future Steps. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An interactive workshop with various group activities, a provocation session which showcased showreels from COP29 (including the Coastal TALES showreel), plenary discussion and networking. The workshop focused on the interface in research between cultural heritage and climate change and debated ways in which this might more meaningfully influence policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Alliance for Research on Cultural Heritage in Europe event (ARCHE) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The ARCHE event includes an Exhibition of Welsh expertise in Resilient Cultural Heritage as part of the St. David's Day celebrations in Brussels, with an exhibition of a project from each of the Welsh universities. This will be followed by The Welsh Government St. David's Day Reception, with Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, taking place on the evening of 5th March at the British Ambassador's Residence. A Roundtable seminar at Wales House on the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda with key stakeholders to plan for engagement with the European Partnership as well as other relevant parts of Horizon Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Bridging Knowledges: International Youth Leadership Programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A short talk introducing UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES, the transdisciplinary humanities informed approach to sustainability it espouses and showcasing Coastal TALES as an example. This was part of 2-weeks Youth Leadership Programme for students visiting UWTSD from St. Berchmans College, India. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Coastal TALES panel at the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference, 2024: "Sustaining the Sea: Stories & practices of Welsh fishers" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog published on the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES website outlining the panel "Sustaining the Sea: Stories & practices of Welsh fishers", at the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference, 20 November, 2024. This panel highlighted the Welsh component of the Coastal TALES project to highlight the importance of adopting a transdisciplinary humanities-incorporated approach for sustainability science. It emphasises how traditional stories from our societal partners can help deliver innovative local solutions to the changing climate in coastal regions. It also introduced a 'citizen science' project, led by Carmarthen Riverside Association and supported by Carmarthen Together: a project established to test water quality along the Towy, from Llansteffan upstream to Llandeilo. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://bridges.earth/blog/post/coastal-tales-panel-wales-real-food-and-farming-conference-2024-sust... |
| Description | Panel "Sustaining the Sea: Stories and practices of Welsh fishers": Wales Real Food and Farming Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 20th November 2024: panel "Sustaining the Sea: Stories and practices of Welsh fishers" delivered at the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference, at the Lampeter Campus, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Louise Steel, Luci Attala and Alissa Flatley presented short papers before an in-depth discussion with the audience. Our Societal Partners (who were intended to be panel members) from Cardigan Bay Fish, Câr y Môr and Carmarthenshire Coracles were unable to attend due to the weather but wider contacts with other stakeholders were developed as a result of the panel. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | The Timeless Art of Coracle Fishing: Preserving Heritage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog for the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES website. This was authored by one of our researchers, based on early fieldwork with the Carmarthen Coracles Association. It captures the dying art of coracle fishing, a tradition that has been practised on the river Towy for generations. This knowledge is not written in books but passed down through stories and hands-on embodied experiences. This blog emphasises the importance of capturing tales of traditional practices like coracle fishing for maintaining cultural heritage and fostering community resilience. By documenting these practices, the project aims to provide valuable insights into how such traditions can adapt to the changing climate. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://bridges.earth/blog/post/timeless-art-coracle-fishing-preserving-heritage |
| Description | Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance Mid-Wales Launch Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Introducing Coastal TALES in the context of the developing transdisciplinary activities of UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES in Wales as part of an event organised by the Wales Association of the Arts and Humanities designed to demonstrate the importance of Humanities in inclusive research aimed at engaging local communities and informing policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |