GULLS SU

SUMMARY
Many coastal communities rely on marine resources for livelihoods and food security. As populations increase, so does pressure on coastal resources already under stress from pollution, coastal development, and habitat degradation. Climate change and variability (including extreme events) will also impact coastal systems and the vulnerability of dependent communities, but may also bring opportunities. This project will contribute to improving community adaptation efforts by characterizing, assessing and predicting the future of coastal-marine food resources through the provision and sharing of knowledge across regional "hotspots", defined here as fast-warming marine areas and areas experiencing social tensions as a result of change. Hotspots are likely to include the priority areas for adaptation and also represent laboratories for observing change and developing adaptation options and management strategies. Comparing hotspot regions will extend existing collaborations and connect local adaptation research and outcomes to improve global learning. Focusing on adaptation options and strategies for enhancing coastal resilience at the local level will contribute to capacity building and local empowerment.

Current weaknesses in marine coastal management include limited integration of natural and social studies, poor translation of scientific understanding into adaptive management mechanisms, and few guidelines for policy development. A holistic system approach will be piloted within one hotspot region (western Indian Ocean) through an existing Alliance of experts and researchers, prior to application in other hotspot regions (India, Brazil, South Africa, Australia). Integration of natural, social and economic studies will identify a range of options for management and policy reform. These alternatives will be delivered as briefing materials to managers and decision-makers in coastal communities and society at large. There are existing strong partnerships within and between the focal regions in this project, and strong scientific and political support for the development of effective science-based governance approaches. This project will deliver a comprehensive set of options to reduce coastal vulnerability and position vulnerable coastal communities for an improved future.

IMPACT SUMMARY
This project has a number of impact, engagement and dissemination elements related to the overall project objectives and the general communication of outputs. Our general science communication objective is to ensure the outputs of the project translate into meaningful action at political/management and whole societal levels. In particular the project aims to communicate the impacts of human population growth and ocean change on coastal systems, and promote the uptake of adaptation options identified in the project. The target audiences include the policy-makers and management agencies for both conservation and fisheries sectors and end users associated with livelihood supporting industries such as tourism; recreational, artisanal, subsistence & commercial fishing in these social and natural climate hotspots.

The specific impact, engagement and dissemination objectives are to:
1. Connect with and inform researchers and end users (including resource users, managers and policy-makers) at local, regional and international scales, about critical aspects of coastal vulnerability with regard to preserving coastal biodiversity and ecosystem services including fisheries productivity, while understanding and accommodating the needs of coastal communities. This is intended to be a two-way dialogue rather than a uni-directional transfer of "knowledge" from the "informed" (e.g. "experts" on the GULLS team) to the "un-informed" (target audiences);
2. For the regional case studies, inform and engage end users to understand and address the likely impacts and adaptation and mitigation options to reduce their vulnerability to external drivers, including environmental variability and climate change;
3. Provide information and guidance for the development of realistic adaptation, mitigation management and policy options to reduce coastal vulnerability with regard to food security and local livelihoods;
4. Compare the project findings with other related initiatives around the world (both with fellow Belmont Forum projects and others).

Within the GULLS Project, communications objectives will be achieved through regular project updates and electronic updates to connect our dispersed research team. Workshops will provide a focus for the first objective, with engagement materials to raise awareness of the threats that lead to heightened coastal vulnerability. Beyond the immediate team, project members also have experience with preparation of fact sheets and web-based materials for a range of stakeholders (Hobday, Pecl). Our key messages to be delivered in these various forms relative to the first objective are likely to be:
1. Fast warming regions will experience impacts before other regions, and so inhabitants of these regions must be on the front foot with regard to information access and discussion of possible responses;
2. The consequences of expected climate variability and change will exacerbate existing coastal threats;
3. There are likely to be both positive and negative impacts at the coasts, and so this project will identify opportunities for improvement, efficiencies, and adaptations that can improve the livelihoods for coastal populations.

A focus will also be on making information available in accessible formats which will help coastal communities to effectively engage with the issues and make informed decisions and take action in both their personal activities and by effectively engaging local governance structures and other community members in addressing the various challenges facing them.