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New project: TRansformative Actions for resilient Coastal Communities (TRACC)
28 August 2024
Image: Firth of Clyde - the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. This area has been chosen to establish a Resilience Collective – a mixture of researchers, communities and stakeholders – to co-develop innovative, transformative local governance frameworks for coastal resilience and sustainability.
Resilience is place specific, determined by complex interrelations between biophysical, sociocultural, and economic circumstances.
As such, to build effective resilience, many factors and perspectives must be considered.
The TRACC (TRansformative Actions for resilient Coastal Communities) project is a pioneering new initiative that aims to establish Resilience Collectives (RCs) - that include a mixture of researchers, communities and stakeholders – to co-develop innovative, transformative local governance frameworks for coastal resilience and sustainability.
Four groups of regional RCs will be established in each of the UK nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) - each characterised by diverse issues - to investigate and address pressing, interrelated resilience issues facing coastal communities. Together, the RCs will build a unique place- and values- based governance for the future of their region.
Through this work, the TRACC project seeks to understand how transdisciplinary, place-based approaches, grounded in local narratives and diverse values, can drive transformational change. The learning and experiences of each RC will be drawn together and shared nationally via a newly created UK Resilience Assembly, supported by the Coastal Partnerships Network (CPN) and other TRACC partners to maximise project impact and legacy.
PML’s Sea and Society team are specifically involved in Work Package 3: “Values for nature and community resilience”.
Professor Nicola Beaumont and Dr Océane Marcone are involved, and their work will focus on eliciting nature’s multiple values; using ecosystem data and models, natural capital assessment and socio-cultural valuation.
What is natural capital?
Natural capital is defined as the stock of natural resources and ecosystems that provide various goods and services essential for human wellbeing and the functioning of the planet. It encompasses a wide range of elements, including forests, wetlands, rivers, oceans, minerals, soil, air, and biodiversity, and represents the inherent value of nature's assets and the ecological systems that sustain life on Earth. The ability of natural assets to provide these benefits is determined by their quality, quantity and location and can be affected by how humans use and manage them.
The team will integrate this data - biophysical, monetary, and sociocultural evidence and indicators - to feed in the resilience collective, to develop visions and response options that could be developed to enhance resilience.
Dr Océane Marcone said: “Coastal communities are faced with many accelerating threats and challenges. TRACC brings together a diverse range of voices and perspectives – communities, stakeholders, researchers, and adopt an innovative, transdisciplinary approach. It is exciting to be part of this great team, as TRACC offers a unique opportunity to work together to develop new approaches toward fostering more sustainable and resilient communities.”
We look forward to sharing updates on this project, please visit the TRACC project page to stay up-to-date.
Related information
Project funders: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Lead project investigators:
•University of Greenwich
•Aberystwyth University
•Cardiff University
•Queen’s University Belfast
•University of Glasgow
•University of Strathclyde
•Plymouth Marine Laboratory
•Natural England
•Humber Nature Partnership
•Evolved Research and Consulting / Clyde Marine Planning Partnership
•Coastal Partnership Network
•Freestater Consultancy
Project start date: 1st September 2024 (running for four years)