Sea and Society

The ‘Sea and Society’ group is committed to supporting sustainable and responsible ocean stewardship, improving the understanding and relationships which people have with the marine and coastal environment.

We investigate and demonstrate the consequences of the interactions between humans and natural systems. This includes the full breadth of marine and coastal ecosystem services – including food provision, carbon sequestration, flood and coastal erosion risk management, marine renewable energy, recreation, tourism, psychological restoration and connection to nature. In turn, we inform and develop effective measures to improve the outcomes, impacts and benefits of these interactions.

The group itself is uniquely comprised of those with expertise in economics, psychology, and social and ecological science, allowing for transformative societally-orientated marine research which is undertaken at local, regional, national and international levels.

Our main goals are to:

• Evidence the interactions of human and marine systems, determining the key interactions and how we can quantify the associated linkages
• Understand the ecological, economic, psychological and social implications of anthropogenic pressures and environmental change
• Co-develop research with a range of stakeholders into how community and ecosystem resilience can be improved, determining the options for mitigation, adaptation, and transformation in response to global change, and how these can be influenced through acceptability, empowerment and behavioural change.
• Pioneer economic and social opportunities, mechanisms and tools for sustainable environmental policy and management, defining how, where and when novel mechanisms such as Payment for Ecosystem Service schemes, green-blue financing, and nature-based solutions can be implemented
• Analyse options and provide evidence for management and policy makers at local to global levels, supporting improved decision-making on the use and management of natural resources and marine space.

• PML Projects
• Other Projects
• Selected Publications