Journal article
Defining Community: Understanding the Meaning of 'the Community' in Coastal Zone Management
Journal of Coastal Research, Vol.Special Issue 56, pp.1316-1319
International Coastal Symposium, 2009 (Lisbon, Portugal, 13-Apr-2009–18-Apr-2009)
2009
Abstract
A reoccurring question in coastal zone management towards sustainability concerns how to engage 'the wider community'. With appropriate human behaviour being the key to sustainability, if scientists and managers could just involve and influence 'the masses', it seems that many coastal management issues would be solved. But the very framing of the problem, using terms such as 'the wider community', belies the truism that the wider community does not exist. Instead, multiple communities exist, overlap and are constantly changing. With a multiplicity of community types described in the literature, two overarching types are commonly used to understand social processes in coastal areas - communities of place and communities of interest. Whilst these conceptualisations may adequately describe relationships between people and what various social groupings gain from the coastal zone, they are ambiguous with regard to impacts upon these areas. In the context of coastal sustainability, we argue that communities also need to be defined in terms of their impact on sustainability. The challenge for coastal scientists and managers is to understand the impacts of various groups on the coastal zone and how these are influenced and change across space and time. This will illuminate key interventions as well as diverse entry points for effective engagement and learning with multiple communities. This paper synthesises and builds on current research focused on characteristics of coastal communities and strategies for successful engagement to both enhance coastal science impact and the adoption of coastal management initiatives.
Details
- Title
- Defining Community: Understanding the Meaning of 'the Community' in Coastal Zone Management
- Authors
- Dana C Thomsen (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and EducationTimothy F Smith (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and EducationR W (Bill) Carter (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health and EducationGayle J Mayes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Business
- Publication details
- Journal of Coastal Research, Vol.Special Issue 56, pp.1316-1319
- Conference details
- International Coastal Symposium, 2009 (Lisbon, Portugal, 13-Apr-2009–18-Apr-2009)
- Publisher
- Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc.
- Date published
- 2009
- ISSN
- 0749-0208
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2009 Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc. Reproduced here with permission of the copyright holder.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC Business School - Legacy; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449867502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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