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Research Interests

Governance, Planning and Management of Marine and Coastal Areas

In the rapidly evolving, information society in which we live, it is a challenge to coordinate the activities of government, business and civil society for effective planning and management that leads to sustainable outcomes. My research has explored the geographical design of different decision-making systems, and the spatial and environmental implications arising from their existing and possible organisation. In particular I have investigated issues in marine and coastal environments. These are a dynamic and vital part of the functioning earth system. They are experiencing a range of unique issues related to the impact of human settlements and resource use, maintenance of livelihoods, competition in the use of space, expansion of marine activities offshore, and impacts of climate change.

I conduct policy-relevant research at local, regional and international scales, on topics such as Integrated Coastal Management, Coastal Partnerships, Marine Planning and EU Legislation. I seek to relate my findings to broader theories of environmental management and sustainability to build a deeper knowledge about human-environment relations.

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Integrated and Interdisciplinary Sustainability Science Research with links to Policy, including Climate Change Adaptation

Many of the important sustainability issues we face as a society are complex and multi-faceted. Building the solutions is likely to require collaboration between scientific disciplines, between scientists and policymakers and practitioners, and the participation of communities, with their unique environmental knowledge. My research has focused on challenges and opportunities for developing new, systems-based approaches to learning, as well as doing applied research as part of teams, on issues such as adaptation to climate change at the coast.

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Cultural and Social Significance of the Oceans: Seascape

As the footprint of human activity expands into the oceans, we are challenged by our lack of knowledge about this space- not least the human and social dimensions, which is even further behind our environmental and economic knowledge. My research is exploring opportunities to consider the cultural and importance of marine space through approaches such as seascape assessment, cultural ecosystem services and new ways of configuring social data to explore the value of our coasts and oceans.

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