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The IMCORE project ran from 2008 to 2011 and was funded under the EU Interreg IVB programme.
Planning to adapt in the East of England: the process
VIDEO: Alex Midlen and Pippa Crighton explain the approach they took in the East of England, in particular in Jaywick.
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Practical tips for following the IMCORE approach to planning to adapt to coastal climate change
The Coastal Initiative Board proved to be a valuable mechanism for liaison with central government. The Government Office representatives were able to easily access key civil servants in central government and to brief Ministers. The partnership would have achieved far less without their involvement, indeed their leadership was invaluable.
The All Party Parliamentary Group also played an important role. This was to enable community representatives to better communicate their concerns about national flood and coastal erosion risk policy and their adaptation needs. The status of the APPG ensured that the 'right people' attended.
The Coastal Literacy process involved the use of an expert group of local stakeholders to provide information on what issues were of most importance, so that we could assess whether the scope of the Coastal Literacy framework was adequate to capture the full range of issues. This worked well. What we had not foreseen was the degree to which those involved benefitted from the process in terms of broadening their own horizons and being exposed to unfamiliar arguments. We would have liked to have developed this approach further as a coastal literacy tool. Furthermore, there are additional tasks required to complete the Coastal Literacy work which will require additional time and resources.
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What we did |
Two key government departments (Defra and CLG) were engaged through the Management Board to understand the issues and to respond to the main challenges identified. |
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Why we did it |
To achieve the necessary policy change at national level. |
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What we achieved |
Influencing national policy change through two government departments: |
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Problems we had |
Generally the initiative progressed smoothly and the timing of it appeared to be right, with government receptive to the messages arising from it. |
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What we learned |
A well researched and argued case from local level can achieve national policy change |
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What we did |
CoastNet used the mechanism of the Coastal and Marine All Party Parliamentary Group to raise awareness amongst MPs and others regarding Adaptation issues, and to give stakeholders direct contact with Ministers and senior civil servants. |
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Why we did it |
To raise awareness at national level and to provide a forum at which community groups could present their concerns. |
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What we achieved |
We raised the profile with government Ministers of community concerns regarding adaptation to climate change. |
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Problems we had |
Securing interest of MPs to take part in debates is difficult because there are so many pressures on their time. |
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Solutions (if any) |
Briefing Reports from meetings were mailed to MPs and their researchers. |
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What we learned |
MPs have a different perspective to civil servants and communications messages need to be framed differently. |
| What we did |
We worked at a community level to understand what knowledge was felt to be important in order to make good coastal management decisions. We organised this information into a framework which we hope will provide the basis for balanced education and awareness raising not only in the pilot locality but elsewhere. Click here to view the Coastal Literacy website. |
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| Why we did it |
To address the knowledge gap between the public and policy-makers/practitioners which has become a barrier to policy implementation. |
| What we achieved | Developed and tested a framework which was conceived to stimulate a balanced debate amongst all stakeholders encompassing social, economic and environmental aspects. |
| Problems we had | Turning the conceptual framework into practical communications messages, such as short films, brought a range of sensitivities to light amongst local stakeholders which required considerable negotiation to resolve. |
| Solutions |
Allow time and place for plenty of debate so as to allow issues to emerge. |
| What we learned |
That there is great enthusiasm at local level to get to grips with and to debate the issues, even if contentious. A facilitated or mediated process provides a safe place in which to do this. |
