Sustaining our Coastlines: Pressures and Pathways for Coastal Futures

This student takeover episode of the Meliora Podcast is hosted by Sandeep and colleagues David, Evelyn, and Dalma. The episode explores some of the major human pressures the coastlines face and how that impacts sustainability, along with potential solutions. Coastlines are important in a range of contexts from social to economic to environmental making it essential to improve its sustainability to protect people livelihoods (Neumann et al., 2015). Coastlines are home to ~ three quarters of the global population and 12 of the 15 largest cities. The ocean economy contributes ~$1.5 trillion annually supporting diverse cultures. It is also one of the largest carbon sinks, taking up 25% of anthropogenic emissions and it holds so much of the earth’s biodiversity. Major threats to the coastline include tourism, coastal management (erosion), aquaculture, sea level rise, pollution and many more. This episode will discuss the impacts and potential solutions for tourism, coastal management, and aquaculture. Want to read more about the issues and solutions for sustainability at the coastlines? We recommend the following papers: ·      Noor, N.M. and Abdul Maulud, K.N. (2022). Coastal Vulnerability: A Brief Review on Integrated Assessment in Southeast Asia. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, [online] 10(5), p.595. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10050595.·      Phillips, M.R. and Jones, A.L. (2006). Erosion and tourism infrastructure in the coastal zone: Problems, consequences, and management. Tourism Management, 27(3), pp.517–524. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.10.019. ·      Klinger, D. and Naylor, R. (2012). Searching for Solutions in Aquaculture: Charting a Sustainable Course. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, [online] 37(1), pp.247–276. doi: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-021111-161531.Episode Host: Sandeep KourEpisode Guests: Evelyn O’Connor, David Ramm, Dalma PellerEditor: Ethan StubbsThis episode is part of the student takeover season and is a group project from the University of Southampton “Global Sustainability Challenges” module.