SUSTAIN – Assessment of sustainability and reinforcement of functional methods

Background and Goals

SUSTAIN – Achieving sustainability and strengthening operational policy – is a three-year programme that aims to develop a universal tool to help ensure sustainability on European coastlines. This method is being developed by 12 European Union countries and is based on easily measurable indicators. It is intended to be applicable to all 22 coastal states in the European Union.

Sustainable development is a key EU strategy and is a prerequisite for the future prosperity of member states. This is particularly important for coastal regions, where more than a third of the European population live (approx. 50 km coastal zone) and in which the environment is significantly influenced by economic and social conditions. At present, there are no methods for measuring whether particular activities on the coasts lead to better sustainability or whether they have the opposite impact.

Content time

to

Research area/region

Country
  • Germany
  • Europe
Region of implementation (all German federal states)
  • Mecklenburg Western Pomerania
  • Lower Saxony
  • Schleswig-Holstein
Natural spatial classification
  • coasts: North Sea-/Baltic Sea coasts

Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change

Step 3: Develop and compare measures

Measures and/or strategies 

A practical method will be developed that will allow sustainability in coastal zones to be measured and will support authorities and communities in moving towards sustainability. This will involve:

  • Creation of a list of sustainability indicators for coastal zones that can be implemented,
  • Verifying the suitability of these indicators for use at a pan-European level,
  • Aiming to improve sustainability in partner regions close to the coast by sharing experiences and transferring knowledge.
Conflicts / synergies / sustainability 

In some cases, the sustainability objectives can support climate adaptation objectives (synergy effects).

Step 5: Watch and evaluate adaptation (monitoring and evaluation)

Approach, objective and results of the monitoring and/or evaluation 

The objective is to develop a usable policy "tool" that will help coastal authorities and communities throughout Europe to ensure sustainable development on coastlines. The tool will be suitable for use in all 22 coastal states of the European Union and will be based on a set of easily measured sustainability indicators, which are intended to enable sustainability on European coastlines to be measured effectively.

Participants

Funding / Financing 

INTERREG IV C programme and the Regional Development Fund of the European Union

Project management 

Coastal & Marine Union – EUCC (NL)

Cooperation/Partners 

- MARINE Observatory (FR);
- Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (UK);
- The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde, IOW (DE);
- Samothraki Municipality (GR);
- Tagus River Basin District Administration (PT);
- Down District Council (UK);
- Canary Institute of Marine Science, Canary;
- Islands Regional Government (ES);
- Teramo Province (IT);
- Regional Development Centre Koper (SI);
- University College Cork (IE);
- Kouklia Community Council (CY);

Contact

Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde
Seestrasse 15
D-18119 Rostock-Warnemünde

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Fields of action:
 biological diversity  coastal and marine protection  human health and care  spatial planning, urban and settlement development  tourism industry  transport and transport infrastructure  cross sectoral