The edge

The magazine of CoastNet Au t u m n 2 0 0 6

Engaging the public

Engagement, Getting across Marine and coastal Working with
empowerment, the the messages of interpretation older children
coast and the public climate change techniques
 Contents
3 Editorial

6
4 News

6 Terms of engagement
CoastNet – breathing new
How do you engage people beyond mere
life into coastal matters
knowledge, not only raising their awareness
Autumn 2006 but changing attitudes, sharing skills and
Engaging the public activating participation? Lisa Browning
investigates.
The edge is a quarterly magazine,
sent out to all CoastNet members.

CoastNet is an international 8 Whatever the weather. Connecting the public

networking organisation that with climate change
works with all coastal interests to Defra’s Alex Palman talks about the Climate 8
promote the exchange of ideas, Change Communications Initiative and key
information and expertise to find
long term solutions to coastal ways to engage the public on the subject.
problems that benefit all. Our
mission is to safeguard the world’s
coast and those communities of 10 From ship to shore
people and wildlife that depend
upon it for their future. Sarah Welton looks at interpretation techniques
for engaging the public in coastal and marine
Editor: Lesley Smeardon issues.
Lesley.smeardon@coastnet.org.uk
Designed by: Cottier & Sidaway
Printed by: Gildenburgh Ltd

12 Am I bovvered?
Submissions
To submit an article for publication, please Is it really worth trying to teach teenagers
email to the editor saving your submission about the coast, marine life and sustainable
as a word document. Alternatively, send to
management rather than focusing on those
the address below. Letters can be sent to the
editor but we are unable to acknowledge
10
receipt. The editor reserves the right to edit younger age groups who are more willing and
submissions. enthusiastic to learn? Lesley Smeardon asks
four education professionals their views.
CoastNet: The Gatehouse,
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Rowhedge, Essex, CO5 7ET.
Tel/Fax: 01206 728644 15 Groundworks
Email: admin@coastnet.org.uk A look at the development of the Estuary
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The opinions expressed in the magazine are
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© CoastNet, 2006

2 The edge Autumn 2006

Editorial
So much emphasis is placed on involving people, of engaging the public, at all
levels in public service these days, but I wonder how many of us take the time
to question why it is so important.
At a very superficial level it is
important because government says
it is important and, given that, it is
necessary to fulfil our public service
responsibilities. Of course, where we
are spending the public’s money –
taxes and lottery funds – the public
should also have their say in how it
is spent. The lottery takes it a step
further, with a very strong emphasis
on direct public involvement in, and
benefit from, funded activity.
This is all good in principle, and I
know from experience that
involving local people in decision-
making can transform the vociferous
opponent into a responsible,
considered ally. There is an
efficiency argument here too.
Engaging the public is hard work
and costly on the face of it, but the
benefits to be gained through more
co-operative decision-making and
consequent reduction in conflict, in
my view, is an argument for
spending a lot more time and money
than we typically do on this activity.
There is however, another argument
for public engagement, and one that
goes right to the heart of coastal
policy. We know that the coast does
not have a high profile in
government, its agencies, or at a
local level. How can we give it a
higher profile and raise the stakes so
that it is on a par with housing
delivery, education, health
provision, or fighting crime? These
issues are so important in national
policy because this is what
politicians hear from the doorsteps,
see in their mailboxes and know
from the opinion polls and surveys.
And it is because they are of day to
day importance and affect lives
fundamentally that they are so
important to people.
The coast, of course, is a place
where people live – where issues of
health, education, jobs, crime are
as important as anywhere else. But
how much do we actually know
about this context? Do such issues
have particular characteristics on
the coast, such that the coast
might demand special attention?
We have a little insight. East
Lindsey District Council has done
some good work on housing need,
a report from Sheffield Hallam
University analysed the economy
of coastal towns (both reported at
the CoastNet Coastal Communities
conference in 2004), and a UK
Parliamentary committee is
investigating issues surrounding
coastal towns, such as housing,
employment and economic
performance.
However, this is but a drop in the
ocean when compared to what we
know about natural coastal systems.
If we are to successfully engage the
public, and thus politicians, in
coastal policy we need to widen
significantly the scope of our
understanding. Since the Estuaries
Initiative was launched by English
Nature in 1992, we have had a 14
year environmental campaign for
the coast. The forthcoming Marine
Bill, and national ICZM strategies
mark a significant milestone in that
campaign. Now we need to
complement that with an equally
well-resourced and supported
programme of investigation,
analysis, policy development and
awareness raising regarding
the socio-economic characteristics of
the coast. Perhaps the
current Communities and
Local Government Committee
investigation of coastal towns will be
the start of such an initiative.
www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_comm
ittees/odpm/coastalinq.cfm
Alex Midlen,
Chair of CoastNet
The edge Autumn 2006 3
N ew s
ICZM in a war zone – a personal reflection
July, and I’m preparing to visit a
stretch of Mediterranean coastline as
an external advisor for a new ICZM
program. This was one of a number
of areas targeted for the EU’s latest
‘Short and Medium-term Priority
Environmental Action Programme’
(SMAP) for the protection of the
Mediterranean environment. But in
July the word ‘target’ took on a
darker meaning – this stretch of
coastline was south Lebanon. My
travel plans were on hold.
By September the Lebanese coast,
which only months before was a
booming international tourist
destination, had, in the words of the
Lebanese Prime Minister, been “torn
to shreds by destruction,
displacement, dispossession,
desolation, and death”. Israel’s 34 day
onslaught unleashed some 1.2
million cluster bombs, many of which
now litter the region unexploded. The
bombing of the storage tanks of the
Jiyyeh power plant to the south of
Beirut released 15,000 tonnes of fuel
oil into the Mediterranean Sea. Waste
lay uncollected and decaying in the
summer heat. Over 100 bridges
were destroyed and a million people
displaced. Now the offensive and the
blockade are over, the fishermen in
the south are back at work. But so far
their catch has been disappointingly
small; nets have often been filled with
The Beirut coastline September 2006
bombs and missile parts. The oil
clean up is painfully slow; only 400
In the Next issue of
tonnes of spilt fuel oil has so far been
The edge:
recovered. "What we had here was a
The next issue of The edge will be
tsunami. That is the only way to
looking at the effects of natural
explain it," said one local mayor.
disasters and war on the world’s
coasts. We would be interested to
How does ICZM respond to a
know of anyone with a story to tell
catastrophe on this scale? How can
on this issue, eg any studies
ICZM make a meaningful contribution
looking at the environmental
to post-war regeneration?
effects of war and natural disaster,
Discussions are already underway on
but also at regeneration and
just those questions.
rebuilding projects where large
scale devastation has occurred in
Brian Shipman, CoastNet Board
the past. Please contact the editor
member
(lesley.smeardon@coastnet.org.uk).

CoastNet Futures Group progress

The CoastNet Futures Group (CFG) is a core element of CoastNet’s four pronged strategy comprising, in addition,
web portal, public engagement and network development.

The Group will establish a forward
thinking (beyond political timescales)
policy agenda for the coast. This will
be achieved through the establish-
ment, promotion and implementation
of a Research Agenda based on the
full complexity of coastal issues.
The CFG aims to become a leading
force in the debate on coastal
sustainability in the UK, Europe and
beyond through examining radical
alternatives to mainstream thinking
and thinking beyond the short term.
The inaugural meeting was held on
12 July 2006 with a small group of
experts to consider the scope and
modus operandi of the CFG. The
group comprised:
●· Prof Chris Baines (Wildlife Trusts)
●· Prof Laurence Mee (Plymouth
University)
●· Clive Gilbert (Independent
consultant and SAIL project)
●· Dr Pat Doody (Independent
consultant)
●· Dr Theresa Redding (CoastNet)
●· Alex Midlen (CoastNet)
Other members of the group include:
●· Prof Peter Burbridge (Newcastle
University)
●· Prof Tim O’Riordan (Tyndall
Centre for Climate Change)
●· Peter Kingsley (PJR Ltd)
In the future, project teams will be
established on an ad hoc basis –
necessarily in partnership with
research institutes and consultancy
firms, as well as engaging expert
individuals through the CoastNet
network.

4 The edge Autumn 2006


New communication
resource for coastal
professionals
Between January and March this
year, CoastNet ran a series of
workshops across the country to
discuss public engagement in coastal
and marine issues. The full report
from these workshops is now
available on the CoastNet website
under publications
(www.coastnet.org.uk).
As part of its ongoing work to
support those coastal professionals
who have a public engagement
remit, CoastNet has also produced a
new resource shortly to be trialed
with a small audience group. Its aim
is to provide a practical, introductory,
dip-in resource guide to good
communication when engaging the
public on coastal and marine issues.
Everyone who attended the
workshops will receive a free copy
when it is finally available but if
anyone else is interested in
receiving a copy, please contact
Theresa Redding at
theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk.
CoastNet’s free
contact database
Thanks to all those who responded
to our request to join our free
contacts database. If there is anyone
else who would like to know more
about the database or to join, please
contact Theresa Redding
(theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk).
New CoastNet Board
members
At the last CoastNet Board meeting it
was decided that the numbers on the
management board would be
increased. CoastNet is therefore
asking for applications to join the
Board of Management. Meetings are
held quarterly, in either London or at
the Secretariat in Essex.
Please contact Theresa Redding
(Theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk)
or phone 01206 728644 for more
details and for a copy of the Terms
of Reference for board members.
Coastal Partnerships
Working Group –
making progress
Formal endorsement of this new
working group took place at the Annual
CoastNet Forum in June. The group
met in July to discuss the ICZM
Strategy response to Defra. A proposed
institutional framework for ICZM
delivery was drafted. This is under
further consideration before submission
to Defra as part of the working groups'
response to the English ICZM Strategy.
The next meeting takes
place in October in Newcastle, when
discussion will centre around the AONB
model as a possible route for ICZM
delivery in future.
For further information or
involvement in the group, please
contact us:
Chair: Natasha Barker
(Severn Estuary Partnership)
Email:
natasha.barker@btopenworld.com/
severn@cardiff.ac.uk
Vice-Chair: Niall Benson (Durham
Heritage Coast Partnership)
Email: niall.benson@durham.gov.uk
Tracey Hewett (Solent Forum Officer)
Email: solentforum@hants.gov.uk
N ew s
Also in the news
● Marine and Fisheries Business
Plan 2006-07
The Marine and Fisheries Buisness Plan
recently published by Defra sets out the
priorities and activities of Defra’s new Marine
and Fisheries Directorate, created on 1 April
2006.
● Sea levels rising faster than predicted
warns Antarctic Survey
Professor Chris Rapley, director of the British
Antarctic Survey has warned that global sea
levels caused by climate change are rising
faster than UN scientists predicted only five
years ago. This threatens many of the world’s
coastal and low-lying areas from Bangladesh
to East Anglia.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment
/article1621770.ece
● DTI announces £4.5 million funding for
Wave power
The Government has announced £4.5 million
funding to support ‘Wave Hub’, a wave
power project 10 miles off the Cornish coast.
The funding comes from the £50m Marine
Renewables Deployment Fund.
www.gnn.gov.uk
● Algal blooms disrupt holidaymakers
across Europe
Many Europeans reaching their holiday
destinations on the coasts of Italy, Scotland,
Sweden and Denmark this summer found,
not inviting bathing waters, but toxic algal
blooms. The blooms, helped by the recent
hot and calm weather in Europe, were also
assisted by nutrient inputs caused by human
activities.
www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/algal-
blooms-disrupt-holidaymakers-across-europe
● 52 new species in Indonesian reefs
Scientists exploring waters off Indonesia’s
Papua province have discovered a
remarkable array of new fish and coral
species. The reefs could comprise the world’s
most biologically diverse marine area,
according to Conservation International
researchers.
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2006/2006-
09-18-01.asp
The edge Autumn 2006 5

Terms of Engagement
Lisa Browning from the Wildlife Trusts takes a look at public education
and engagement in the marine and coastal environment
“Engagement, engagement, engage-
ment”, as Tony Blair might have said.
‘Education’ seems to be a dirty word in the
environmental sector these days. It reeks of
the one-way, didactic and teacher-centred
indoctrination of yore. In its place we have
‘engagement’, suggestive of a participant-
centred, experiential and thoroughly
modern approach. And yet engagement has
its own baggage, not least the military
connotations. But on closer inspection, it’s
clear that educators and other practitioners
have been facilitating ‘engagement’ for
many years.
Nearly 30 years ago, the objectives of
environmental education were outlined by
the Tbilisi Intergovernmental Conference
on Environmental Education:
1 Awareness – to help social groups and
individuals acquire an awareness and
sensitivity to the total environment and its
allied problems (and/or issues)
2 Sensitivity – to help social groups and
Coastal survey and species
recording projects
Among the first projects to appear
were those that sought to engage the
public in marine and coastal survey
work and species recording. Good
examples of current initiatives
include:
v Seasearch A habitat survey
programme for divers, co-
ordinated centrally by the Marine
Conservation Society and
delivered locally by Wildlife
Trusts, partnership projects and/or
individual volunteers.
6 The edge Autumn 2006
individuals gain a variety of experiences in,
and acquire a basic understanding of, the
environment and its associated problems
(and/or issues)
3 Attitudes – to help social groups and
individuals acquire a set of values and
feelings of concern for the environment
and motivation for actively participating in
environmental improvement and
protection
4 Skills – to help social groups and
individuals acquire skills for identifying and
solving environmental problems (and/or
issues)
5 Participation – to provide social groups
and individuals with an opportunity to be
actively involved at all levels in working
toward resolution of environmental
problems (and/or issues).
Just as education can be seen as a tool for
promoting engagement, so engagement
can be seen as a tool for achieving
education. Raising awareness, eg through
v Shoresearch Seasearch’s intertidal
sister project, delivered locally by
Wildlife Trusts.
v Adopt-a-Beach and Beachwatch.
Beach litter survey programmes
run by the Marine Conservation
Society.
v The Great Eggcase Hunt A
mermaid’s purse survey run by the
Shark Trust.
v Seaquest South West A reporting
scheme for large marine fauna, co-
ordinated by the Cornwall and
Devon Wildlife Trusts.
v Basking Shark Survey Holidays
Delivered by The Wildlife Trusts’
Basking Shark Project.
Gillie Hayball, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
events such as The Wildlife Trusts’ Marine
Week, is clearly part of the process, but how
do you take people beyond mere knowledge,
increasing their sensitivity, changing
attitudes, sharing skills and activating
participation? In the marine environment,
this question is even more challenging than
on dry land due to a lack of access and
familiarity. But things are slowly changing,
and there are now more opportunities for
people to engage fully in marine and coastal
conservation and management.
Clearly, all of this activity demands an
enormous amount of time, money and
creativity, but is it actually working? Those
working face to face in the field would surely
give a resounding “yes”: you just know when
you’re getting through. But does the effect
last? Are we really winning hearts and
minds? Does public engagement represent
good value for money when compared
with other approaches to managing
environmental problems? Unfortunately,
due to practical difficulties and cost, most
Projects promoting stewardship
Other initiatives promote a wider
stewardship role, with participants
acting as the ‘eyes and ears’ of their local
patch of coast, as well as undertaking
specific survey tasks. Examples include:
v West Sussex Beach Wardens A
scheme developed by the Nature
Coast Project in partnership with
BTCV.
v Thanet Coast Wardens Led by the
Thanet Coast Project.
Projects influencing behaviour
Some projects seek to influence
consumer behaviour by offering
sustainable lifestyle choices:
 Nature Coast Project

Jolyon Chesworth, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Different ways to engage. Left to right: Seaside fun at a land-locked site during Marine Week; West Sussex Beach
Wardens; Wildlife Trust volunteers at Westminster.

engagement projects assess only the Environment, where practitioners identified

immediate reactions of their participants or actions to make their work more effective.
Projects and organisations
at best the short-term changes in attitudes Following the conference, a working group
featured
and behaviour (measured in months, rather was set up to take forward key actions, Adoptabeach: www.adoptabeach.org.uk
than years). Even fewer projects have including further conferences and Basking Shark Survey Holidays:
attempted cost-benefit analysis. I’m not workshops and a dedicated website for http://baskingsharks.wildlifetrusts.org/holidays.php
suggesting for one moment that these marine education providers. Coast: www.arrancoast.co.uk/form.htm
techniques are not effective, but wouldn’t it Fishonline: www.fishonline.org
be great to be able to demonstrate it beyond The range of opportunities and choices for The Great Egg Case Hunt – Shark trust:
all doubt, especially given the perpetual engaging people in the marine and coastal www.sharktrust.org/eggcase/index.html
struggle for funding that many projects environment has expanded greatly with a Making the most of the islands:
experience? There is also a need for higher community of practitioners sharing ideas www.dialoguematters.co.uk/docs/goodpracticeguide.pdf
North East Kent European Marine Sites
level assessment and monitoring of public and experiences. What unites these diverse
management scheme:
attitudes to the marine and coastal initiatives is something that is critical to
www.thanetcoast.org.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=15
environment. As a contribution to this goal, public engagement: passion. As Antoine de
Ocean defender:
next year The Wildlife Trusts will undertake Saint-Exupery put it:
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/ocean-defenders
a UK-wide public poll on attitudes to marine
Seaquest South West:
protected areas, and we intend to repeat the “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up
www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature/marine/
exercise periodically. people together to collect wood and don't
seaquest.htm
assign them tasks and work, but rather teach
Seasearch: www.searsearch.org.uk
Another area that merits greater attention is them to long for the endless immensity Thanet coast wardens:
the sharing of good practice among public of the sea”. www.thanetcoast.org.uk/assets/Wardenleaflet.pdf
engagement practitioners. In January 2005, Lisa Browning is Marine Development Manager at West sussex beach wardens:
The Wildlife Trusts held a UK conference on the Wildlife Trusts. Contact her on: www.naturecoast.org.uk/beachwardens
Public Understanding of the Marine lbrowning@wildlifetrusts.org Wise scheme: www.wisescheme.org

v The Good Fish Guide and
FISHONLINE Two seafood-related
projects run by the Marine
Conservation Society.
v Wise Scheme A training and
accreditation scheme for marine
wildlife tourism boat operators.
Advocacy and activism projects
Meanwhile, some organisations are
attempting to engage the public in
advocacy and activism in the marine
and coastal environment:
v The Wildlife Trusts’ Marine Bill
Campaign. A campaign for
Highly Protected Marine Reserves,
including petitions, polls and
letter-writing activities.
v Ocean Defenders. Greenpeace is v Making the Most of the Islands. A
building a team of activists pushing process to engage the local
for protection of the world’s oceans. community in the development of
v COAST The Community of Arran the Isles of Scilly AONB Statutory
Seabed Trust’s campaign to protect Management Plan for the
Lamlash Bay. Countryside Agency.
Projects engaging in
decision-making
Finally, there are initiatives designed to
engage the public in decision-making on
the coast. Examples include:
v North East Kent European Marine
Sites Management Scheme English
Nature’s management scheme for
this protected area was developed
using innovative engagement
techniques. The edge Autumn 2006 7
 Whatever the weather
Connecting the public with climate change issues
Alex Palman talks about Defra’s Climate Change Communications Initiative,
identifying key ways to engage the public.
C
limate change it has been said
is the most serious issue facing
the world, more so than
terrorism. We now read and hear
about the problem almost daily – yet
for many it’s an issue they can neither
see, nor are affected by or even care
about. So how do we engage those
with an issue which is both
perplexing, overwhelming in scale and
almost invisible on a daily scale?
The Climate Change
Communications Initiative
The Climate Change Communications
Initiative (CCCI) set up by Defra in
2005 aims to shift public attitudes to
climate change so that people are
better placed to take action. It takes its
direction from an evidence-based
strategy which recommends a local
and regional approach among several
other key insights.
While the science is what we rely on
for our understanding, most people
don’t react in a rational and logical
way. This makes the communications
of the issue all the more complex. If
we were all completely logical we
Giving a human face is central to
engaging the public. The Climate
Change Champions recently
travelled to Switzerland to
investigate two glaciers. Here
they are standing where the
glacier would have been in the
year of their birth.
8 The edge Autumn 2006
should be able to present the facts of
the issue and everyone would jump at
it. But we aren’t rational. We do
what’s convenient, we follow the
considered norms and prioritise
things based on a massive array of
competing factors. Research has also
shown that people are not concerned
about the future of their children
when it comes to climate change.
This is because they perceive the
impacts to be in the distant future
and in reality there are more urgent
current concerns, such as education.
Keeping it positive
Climate change is an issue which is
about people. As we know,
temperatures are increasing and a raft
of devastating effects will continue to
be felt. Sea level rise, increased
frequency and potency of storms,
accelerated desertification, increased
propagation of tropical diseases just to
name a few. But this is where the
problem begins. These
overwhelmingly negative impacts are
exactly why people switch off. It’s just
too difficult to deal with. What could I
do to solve this/these problems?
Change the channel, watch something
else; its easier and less depressing.
Taking a positive approach which
engenders involvement and
empowerment are two cornerstones to
the CCCI approach.
So how do you make a seemingly
disaster-strewn topic positive? Firstly
by showing that the problem can be
surmounted and secondly by showing
that people are tackling it. The holy
grail is to make those actions
aspirational, high status and cool.
We’re not there yet, but that’s the goal.
For example, in Germany the social
status of behaviours associated with
recycling are very high – if you don’t
recycle, you’re a social leper.
A positive development is the shift in
the media that took place about a year
ago. The balance of media reports up
to around September last year would
always caution that climate change
was unproven and still being debated
by scientists. The tone now is that this
issue is upon us and has been
researched and proven to a level
second only to Newton’s second law
of motion.
Keeping it local
Keeping the issue ‘home not away’ is
also key. Research shows that when an
issue is situated in another country or
on the other side of the world it’s
easier to just change the channel
thinking, ‘that’s terrible, somebody
should do something about that.’
Making climate change a local or
regional issue gives it more relevance.
More importantly, by having a human
face the issue is moved from one of
graphs, tables and computer forecasts
to something which is more tangible
and real.
The CCCI has recently funded 80
local and regional communications
projects across England. Each project
is picking up the issue in a way that
makes it more accessible to people
from those areas. In some cases
specific audiences have been targeted;
youth, ethnic groups, educators, to
name a few.
Keeping it personal
Another insight which has fed in to
our strategy is the need for faces and
personalities to champion/lead on the
issue. This is a difficult challenge as
most respected spokespeople tend to
emerge naturally and gain credibility
from their efforts rather than their
celebrity status. Unfortunately there
are no Sir Bob Geldof’s or Nelson
Mandela’s leading the cause. So before
well known faces emerge, we decided
to grow our own.
The Climate Change Champions
Project kicked off in January 2006
with a youth competition to find
nine champs – one for each region of
England. Entrants had to prepare a
news report about climate change in
their region, and those that made the
semi-finals were interviewed. The
winning champions have since
visited 10 Downing Street and asked
questions of Sir David King, met the
Secretary of State for Environment
and the Prime Minister. More
recently they travelled by train to
Switzerland to investigate climate
change effects on two glaciers. They
are now back in their own regions
actively taking the issue to a broad
range of groups including schools,
local authorities, and community
groups. The media uptake has been
phenomenal – between them these
10 -17 yr olds have been on a huge
range of regional radio and TV
stations, and in most of the regional
press – resulting in the issue being
portrayed positively and with a sense
of purpose, that is both important
and relevant for locals.
By associating climate change with
people and keeping it very much a
local and regional issue people in the
regions have been engaged. The plan
Red Earth: Geograph (Trace) 2005
now is to keep up the momentum by
providing more useful information and
resources for people to tackle the issue.
Alex Palman is Climate Change
Communications Manager at Defra.
For more details of the CCCI, go to
www.climatechallenge.gov.uk
Quick summary The visual impact of using the coast
Points to keep in mind for The coast gives a visual immediacy to
organisations engaging the climate change that’s often difficult to
public with climate change: achieve in other areas of people’s lives.
v As low tech, low science as This was exploited well in the low tide
event at Birling Gap, 2005. Working with
possible.
a group of environmental artists (Red
v Keep the issue ‘home, not
Earth), the National Trust demonstrated in
away’ – tap into local/regional
a very visual and dramatic way, the
issues.
effects of coastal erosion. A line of
v Always positive – only use
pebbles were used to mark where the
fear if you provide a means
cliffs stood 1978 years ago giving an
to address the problem.
immediate physical and local impact of
v Make the issue relevant to
climate change.
the audience on their terms.
v Don’t rely on concern for
children/human future.
The edge Autumn 2006 9
Ship to Shore
How can we engage people and share the secrets of the sea? Sarah Welton looks at
interpretation techniques for engaging the public in coastal and marine issues.
Glass bottom boat, The Fleet
Observer runs trips on the Fleet
Lagoon in Dorset, the largest
saline lagoon in the UK, giving
people an ‘up close and personal’
experience of the lagoon’s many
marine and animal species. It is
managed by the Fleet and
Swannery Trust, and is operated
on a not-for-profit basis.
10 The edge Autumn 2006
L
ots of people visit the coast in
holiday mood with time to
explore an environment that is
‘different’ from home. To most of us,
the nearest we can get to ‘hands-on’
with the marine environment is rock-
pooling or visiting an aquarium – we
cannot see or get to grips with what is
below low water mark. How many
people realise that the underwater
‘seascape’ is like the landscape we are
familiar with? Reefs and gullies are like
ridges and valleys, seagrass beds and
kelp forests like grassy plains and
woodland and the wildlife doesn’t stop
at low water mark. The coast is a
valuable link between our terrestrial
world and the sea.
Most of us are aware of the need for
conservation on land, but marine
conservation is lagging far behind –
out of sight, out of mind, perhaps.
Interpreting this unfamiliar world and
human impacts on it is a challenge
but the plus side is that the sea is full
of mystery. Who isn’t excited by the
fact that we still know so little about
what is under the sea?
If we want people to appreciate and
understand coastal and marine
wildlife, be concerned about its
conservation and take some
individual responsibility, it is
important to select the best
mechanisms to get our messages
across. Whatever our age, we learn
when there is active involvement –
people retain about 10 per cent of
what they hear, 30 per cent of what
they read, 50 per cent of what they see
and 90 per cent of what they do, so we
need to get people involved.
With modern technology and more
traditional methods at our disposal,
how can we engage people and share
 Purbeck Marine Wildlife Rescue
Snorkelling for softies

the secrets of the sea? Printed
interpretive materials might sound ‘old
hat’ but as marine life is so colourful
and eye-catching, they can be a good
way of getting messages across to a large
audience, if resources are limited. A bottomed boat will only work in the
trick worth remembering is that if you
want people to be attracted to a picture
of the natural world, however stunning,
include a person somewhere in the
challenge. Boat trips, plankton trawls,
lifting submerged objects, eg a lobster
pot, lifted from the seabed all help to
understand what lies beneath the
waves. It is often assumed that a glass-
tropics but ‘The Fleet Observer’ in
Dorset is proof that it can work here,
too.
The sea is mysterious, exciting and fun,
however, too often ‘out of sight…out of
mind’. We can all share the secrets of
the sea.
Sarah Welton, Marine and Coastal Education,
Interpretation and Training
Email: sarahwelton@oceans.f9.co.uk

picture – subliminal but it really works!
In such a watery place, water-proof
guides are a good idea – laminated for
the beach or printed on plastic for sea
use!
Helping people to explore marine and
coastal environments and see the
plants and animals for themselves has
got to be a priority at an accessible
coastal site. There are ways to do this to
suit all budgets. Again guided walks
and trails might seem old-fashioned but
they are still as popular as ever, raise
funds and provide the opportunity to
get your messages across. Tools to help
people look more closely when
exploring rockpools and shallow water
are a reverse periscope (easily made
from drain pipe, Perspex and a small
mirror), with which to peep under over-
hangs and masks so that participants
can lie on rocks or ledges and see what
snorkellers see without getting their
feet wet – ‘Snorkelling for Softies’.
When it comes to the offshore
perspective, it is a bit more of a
Victoria Copley
Access to the beach a problem?
Remote techniques at coastal centres
are the next best thing. Aquaria,
touch tanks, touch tables, video
(recorded or real-time), digital inter-
actives, hydrophones – the scope is as
endless as your budget and they bring
the environment to the visitor.
Events with a marine and coastal
theme – SeaFest, Fish Festivals, Marine
Week are an opportunity to
communicate to a huge audience.
Real-time underwater video, games and
activities, displays and demonstrations
don’t just interpret the natural world
but also conservation issues.
There are lots of good examples of
coastal interpretation. What they have
in common is they tell stories, are
relevant to everyday experience, arouse
curiosity and above all are enjoyable
and don’t have to be ‘hi-tech’. The best Fisherman making traditional
way to convey messages is one person lobster pots at Weymouth
talking to another and if you can Fish Festival
involve the public in on-going
projects, they are ‘hooked’.
The edge Autumn 2006 11
Am I bovvered?
Is it really worth trying to teach teenagers about the
coast, marine life and sustainable management? Why
not focus on the under 10s who are still interested
and enthusiastic about the environment, soaking up
knowledge like a sponge? Get the resources right for
the age group, says Lesley Smeardon, and anyone
can have their imagination and excitement fired.

Of course, take a teenager along to do Jason Birt,

I
t’s May and my family is at one of
the Low Tide Day free, ‘fun days the same thing, and it’s unlikely Falmouth Marine School
out’ which has advertised the usual you’ll get a similar reaction. And “Some of our keenest students in the
coastal activities: boat trips, rock with overtly caricatured popular past have been those from the middle
pooling, face painting, badge making images of the teenager as espoused of the country whose only experience
etc. For now, however, the rain is by the likes of Catherine Tate or of the coast is from their summer
coming down in bucket loads and, Harry Enfield in the Lauren and holidays”, says Jason Birt from the
surprise, surprise, my kids, in wellies, Kevin sketches, you’d be hard pushed Falmouth Marine School in Cornwall.
raincoats and hats, have begun to to find anything to inspire and “We run BTEC Nationals in Marine
moan that they’re getting wet and enthuse them. So why bother? Is it Biology and Ecology (based on the
cold and want to go home. possible to interest teenagers who are Countryside Management BTEC) for
not already enthused by coastal over 16 year -olds teaching marine
Partly protected by a marquee, my five issues or better to focus on a younger biology primarily and so our focus is
year old daughter, while queuing to age group? I asked four education generally this older age group. When
have her face painted, spots a professionals their views. they start our courses, many of our
fearsome creature in a container next students don’t know what they want to
to her – a huge lobster. ‘What is
THAT?’ she positively squeals at me,
physically squirming at this unknown Students from Falmouth Marine
beastie. Before I can answer, she spots School on the PADI dive course.
a large crab and by now just can’t
contain her excitement. Luckily, there
are people on hand to explain all
about these creatures and how, they
too, live locally. She is entranced for
the few minutes that her attention
span allows before returning to the
face painting task in hand.

On the way home she turns to me

and says that she just can’t believe
there are all these creatures living in
the sea. Not any sea, mind you, but
the sea just a few miles away from
where we live – fancy that! One
simple, visible display, and the sea
suddenly comes alive for her.

12 The edge Autumn 2006

do as a career. But over 50% end up
progressing on to higher education,
mostly reading marine biology with a
strong zoology element. They also tend
to develop a new found passion about
coastal and environmental issues
which they keep with them, no matter
what they do. So yes, you definitely
can interest young people in coastal
and marine issues, although they have
to be intrigued in the first place.”
So what attracts young people to do
these courses? “Our courses have a
high practical and interactive nature
to them, with a residential trip, field
visits and practicals playing a large
part”, says Birt. “In addition we also
offer subsidised opportunities to take a
PADI dive qualification which has
proved really popular. Students have
been competely blown away after
seeing first-hand the dramatic change
between a rocky shore at low tide and
the same area underwater at high tide.
The messages really do sink in.”
Naomi Biggs,
Thanet Coast Project
Naomi Biggs is Education Officer with
the Thanet Coast Project and her role
is to engage audiences who wouldn't
normally get involved in coastal
projects. She is only too aware of the
need to engage young people.
“Through working with excluded
teenagers, I’ve seen the effects of what
'giving up' on children does”, says
Biggs. “I have worked with children
around 13 years old who are
constantly excluded from lessons
through bad behaviour. Initially,
taking them to the beach for a school
visit was a shock to their system, but
once I gained a little bit of trust, they
actually got very involved in the
coastal visits that I ran. I think the
hands-on aspect of rockpooling was
perfect for them.”
“It’s true we have struggled to get
individual teenagers involved in our
regular public events programme
which include activities such as
rockpooling, sand/environmental art
and guided walks, although these are
really popular with the younger age
groups. Unless you work with existing
groups, it’s difficult to get teenagers to
come along. I naively once tried
organising a youth beach clean,
publicising widely and expecting
teenagers to turn up of their own
accord, but the only young people to
come were part of an organised group
– the Millennium Volunteers. Now, I
find linking into existing youth groups
is the best way to go, putting more
time into the event rather than
publicity in the hope that we’ll get
people turning up.
“A really successful project we ran in
this way, for example, was a hands-on
art day where young people designed
and made a Nature Trail. They then
helped to run the trail as an event at a
later date. I now also have a great
resource that I use on a regular basis
and could never have made it look so
good myself!”
Lissa Goodwin, Marine biologist
Marine Biologist Lissa Goodwin has
worked with schools for a number of
different organisations, including the
British Divers Marine Life Rescue, the
Marine Connection and the
University of Plymouth. “I have
found that 10-11 yrs (Year 6) are
really keen, absorb everything like a
sponge and take a lot of energy to
work with” she says. “By 13-14 they
are harder work, but by 15-16+ things
are turning around again and most
are good to work with. I’ve even
found 16-17 year olds who have
never been rockpooling before
suddenly engaged in the activity and
desperate to know more.”
“The way you approach different age
categories has to be geared to their
level of knowledge, taking into
consideration their background, ie do
they come from a coastal community
where the beach would be common
place, or are they land-locked? But
don’t always assume that if they come
from the coast they will know about it.
I am frequently amazed that parents
living by the sea do not make more
use of it and have found children in
Plymouth and Penzance who have
never been rockpooling. You just have
to make some judgments on the day
about the take home messages which
you are going to try to get across.”
Jonathan Potts, The National
Maritime Museum
A new marine education programme
about to open its doors to scores of 11-
16 year olds in January is being run by
the National Maritime Museum
(NMM) with funding from The Crown
Estate. The programme is unique in
that is has developed the first stand-
alone, curriculum-led resources
specifically relating to marine and
coastal issues.
“At the moment”, says Jonathan Potts
of the NMM, “the National
Curriculum (in England and Wales)
doesn’t have any distinct, marine and
coastal resources. You have to drag
issues from other areas of the
curriculum. Our aim is to redress this
by providing schools with distinct
marine and coastal resources based on
the geography, science and citizenship
areas of the National Curriculum.”
The programme has been piloted with
teachers and is due for its first visitors
in January 2007. But why choose this
age group specifically? As Potts
explains: “After engaging external
consultants to look at the optimum
age group for coastal and marine
education, we agreed to focus on 11-
16 years olds (key Stage 3 and 4). The
concepts around marine and coastal
Lissa Goodwin (far right) with
students on a British Divers Marine
Life Rescue training course.
BDMLR
The edge Autumn 2006 13

issues, such as sustainable use and
management, climate change,
biodiversity are hugely complex for
small children to get their heads round
and are much better suited to this age
group. At the National Maritime
Museum we try to promote a balanced
view of sustainable resource
management and equitable use of
resources, encouraging debate and
discussions with our school children.
Debates and discussions work
fantastically well for 11-16 year olds as
they are at the time in their
development where they are really
beginning to form their own ideas and
are keen to express themselves.”
So what resources is the NMM
providing for this age group?
Tips for engaging older children
v Make it a hands-on experience,
inspiring and memorable.
v Use new approaches but don’t
dismiss traditional ones.
v Develop the activity with your
audience to make it feel relevant
and to encourage a sense of
ownership.
v Relate the issues back to people’s
own lives, eg the marine-derived
ingredients in products they use
v Keep activities interactive. Present a
physical challenge and include
teamwork.
v All ages respond well to praise and
recognition of being part of
something.
v Work with established organisations,
such as schools and youth groups
rather than going it alone.
14 The edge Autumn 2006
The ‘Your ocean’ website from with the issues. Hopefully this will lead
the NMM provides an excellent, to a lifelong interest in our oceans and
interactive, online resource for how we can manage them at a
11-16 year olds. sustainable level”
“Research indicates that young people
can suffer from ‘ecoburnout’”,
Engagement for any age?
comments Potts. “They know about
For my daughter, her touch tank
climate change, sustainable
experience was a great first step in her
development etc but what empowers
understanding of the coastal and
them is the debate and relating the
marine world. And what is hugely
issues back to their life. Our
clear from the few insights given here
programme aims to do this. As
is that by getting the resources right,
mentioned, we include debates and
older age groups can tackle, with great
discussions and will be using actor
intelligence and innovation, the
interpreters to take on various
hugely complex and interconnecting
roles such as Government employee,
issues of sustainable resource use,
industrialist, conservationist to help
management, climate change and
with this. The involvement of The
conservation. Give the right stimulus
Crown Estate brings additional marine
and people really can be bovvered.
resource management, knowledge
and expertise as well as an extensive
network of contacts. We also have a
number of hands-on activities, gallery Organisations featured
trails and a chance to spend 20
The National Maritime Museum
minutes talking to an expert from the
The website provides an excellent,
marine community for real hands-on
interactive, online resource for including
experience with the issues.”
quizzes and information about the ocean
www.nmm.ac.uk/yourocean
“Our new gallery ‘Your ocean’, which
took 2.5 years to put together, is
The Falmouth Marine School
specifically intended to help relate the
The School runs a number of courses for
ocean to everyday life. In it, we
young people including the BTEC national
include everyday objects and the links
diplomas and national certificate in
they have to the ocean. For example,
marine biology and ecology
we explain how tomato ketchup
www.college-falmouth.ac.uk
contains carrageen, a red/green algae
and even mobile phones contain
Thanet coast
manganese found on the ocean floor.
The website contains a learning zone with
We’re not saying resource use is a bad
information and resources for more
thing but it’s important that people
information and formal education.
begin to make the connections
www.thanetcoast.org.uk
between the everyday things they use
and how this might impact on other
Marine Connection
areas of the world.
www.marineconnection.org
“While we are cautious about giving
British Divers Marine Life Rescue
too much of a technology focus to the
www.bdmlr.org.uk
programme, as research has shown
that children can suffer from IT
University of Plymouth
overload, we have invested in a new
www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.a
video conferencing suite, and have
sp?page=11406
facilities for webcasts and blogs. For
us, it’s all about helping this age group
to form their own opinions by giving
them information that is relevant to
them and allowing them to interact

Groundworks
Real community involvement
in decision-making
Throughout the UK a recurring
problem when managing the coast is
a lack of trust and understanding
between the community and external
agencies responsible for decision
making. This problem has been
keenly felt in the case of the flood
management strategy reviews that the
Environment Agency is conducting
around the country. It’s clear that
communication and consultation are
vital for new planning and
management but, how do we go
about this? The Estuary Planning
Partnership set up in Suffolk is an
excellent example of public
engagement in the local issue of flood
management, giving real
empowerment to individuals. Erin
Pettifer speaks to Bill Parker about this
partnership.
Why was this partnership
set up?
The Alde and Ore on the Suffolk coast
is protected through a range of
international and national
designations and is greatly valued by
local people. The community was
Shingle Street, The Alde-Ore
Estuary, Suffolk.
A regular look at the work of
coastal partnerships
concerned that the interests of those
who live by, work or use the river for
recreation were not being adequately
represented in flood management
reviews taking place in the area.
In 2002, The Suffolk Coast & Heaths
Unit obtained an independent
perspective from external consultants
with a key recommendation to provide
a forum for local communities and
statutory authorities to communicate.
Who’s involved?
The partnership is made up of over 20
organisations. The steering group, led
by Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit,
includes volunteers representing local
towns and parishes, sailing clubs and
lobby groups as well as representatives
from government agencies,
landowners and conservation bodies.
Initial funding came from the Alde
and Ore Association, Suffolk Coast
and Heaths Unit and Suffolk Coastal
District Council among others.
What is the value of the group?
The group acts as a discussion forum
and facilitates the exchange of
information about estuary issues
between the community and the
decision makers. The analogy is that
it acts as an old fashioned telephone
exchange, making connections and
managing the communication of
information.
The partnership has improved
understanding of the issues and facts
and encouraged people to see things
from others’ viewpoints. It has also
prompted innovative thinking and
enabled a wide range of people to be
involved in decision-making and
genuinely drive forward issues.
Having a paid estuary officer to
support the group has been essential,
enabling more to be achieved. The
officer delivers any actions identified
by the group, brings in experience
from other estuaries and expertise in
coastal management, and acts as an
advocate for the Partnership.
Value of the Estuary Planning
Partnership for the Alde and Ore
“…a key role in improving
communication and
understanding between all those
who live near, work on or enjoy
the estuary…..”.
David Andren, The Alde and Ore Association.
What key things have made the
partnership a success?
1 External perspective sought.
2 Spent year working towards consensus
on group’s remit.
3 Wider community endorsement and
support sought through a community
conference.
4 Meetings and the partnership in general
run in an open and honest manner, and
everyone’s views heard.
5 Met on neutral ground.
6 Ensured real tasks to take forward after
meetings.
7 Interested community members used to
drive group forward.
8 Time spent brainstorming who ought to
be involved to ensure all unterests
represented.
The Estuary Planning Partnership is a
model for real community
involvement but it is not without its
costs and it is a long-term investment.
If it can retain its credibility, at the
local level and with the wider
agencies, it should have a future but
will the commitment from the various
‘powers’ stay the course?
The edge Autumn 2006 15
C o a s t N e t eve n t s
Conferences
The EU Green Paper on a Future Maritime Making the best use of existing policy
Policy – the objectives, potential implications tools in the delivery of ICZM
and challenges
Location: French Ministry for Research, Paris
Date: 8 December 2006
Location: The Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland
Date: 8 November 2006
One of the fundamental principles of ICZM is to bring
together local institutions, agencies and users to agree
The green paper regarding Maritime Policy for the EU
common management objectives and appropriate
(http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy_en.html ) sets
management measures. However, to ensure consistency
out many critical challenges for the Commission and the
in management between different regions it is important
EU Member States.
to have common strategic frameworks at higher levels
i.e. a national policy for ICZM. Are policy mechanisms
The Lisbon Agenda (growth and Jobs) is clearly reflected
already in place to support ICZM or are there issues
in the references to innovation, knowledge and
which need addressing?
technology, competitiveness, skills and employment,
clustering and so on.
In this conference we to aim highlight local case studies
from different regions e.g. Gulf of Morbihan and other EU
However, the Gothenburg agenda (sustainable
countries. The speakers will consider the adequacy of
development) also permeates the document, with
management tools available at the local level in relation
references to environment, quality of life, environmental
to delivering ICZM, the national response to the EU ICZM
risk and more.
recommendation and the challenges to implementing a
national ICZM strategy.
The challenges are great in bringing all these aspects
together in a policy framework which truly reflects the
principles of sustainable development. To what extent can Water framework
the environment be enhanced, but also exploited for directive and spatial planning on the coast
tourism for example? Can we increase the attractiveness
Location: Cardiff
of coastal areas at the same time as developing maritime
Date: January 2007
industries? To what extent is environmental risk a threat to
competitiveness?
SEA Directive and
These questions and more will be explored in this coastal spatial strategies
conference, which includes speakers from the EU Location: Newcastle
Commission outlining the content of the Green Paper. The Date: March 2007
conference is delivered by CoastNet as part of the
Interreg–funded Corepoint project and is supported by the Registration enquiries for all conferences to
Marine Institute and the EU Commission Representation Theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk
Office in Ireland. Conference outputs will be submitted to
the EU as part of the response to the consultation on the
Green Paper.

■ For information on any of the conferences listed

please contact CoastNet on 01206 728644 or by email
theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk

CoastNet emails: This publication is partially funded through the Corepoint

project under the Interrreg 3B Programme. Corepoint aims
Theresa Redding; to establish North West Europe as an internationally
theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk recognised region of excellence in coastal management
Pat Stitt; by encouraging full implementation of ICZM, highlighting
best practice, providing education by influencing national
pat.stitt@coastnet.org.uk spatial policies – for further details please see
Lesley Smeardon; http://corepoint.ucc.ie
lesley.smeardon@coastnet.org.uk
Manuela Delosrios;
manuela.delosrios@coastnet.org.uk
Events;
admin@coastnet.org.uk