Public perceptions of nature-based coastal solutions in the UK

Seenath, A., Mahadeo, S. M. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8576-5755 and Catterson, J. (2025) Public perceptions of nature-based coastal solutions in the UK. Journal of Environmental Management, 373. 123413. ISSN 0301-4797 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123413

Abstract/Summary

Coastal scientists are increasingly advocating for nature-based coastal solutions (NBCS) to ensure long-term coastal sustainability. Implementing NBCS will change coastal landscapes, necessitating consultation with the wider public as such changes directly affect the socio-cultural values of coastal zone residents and users. We, therefore, investigate public willingness to support, preferences for, and perceived effectiveness of coastal management solutions, nature-based and otherwise, focusing on the UK as a case study. We do this through an online survey of >500 UK residents, capturing their demographics, place of residence, and coastal management perceptions. We apply inductive coding, statistical, and geospatial techniques to analyse our survey data. While we find consensus on the need for coastal management, there are divergent coastal management preferences and perceptions: NBCS are most preferred while hard defences are considered most effective. We find that people with coastal management and/or engineering experience are more convinced by NBCS effectiveness, while coastal residents believe in hard defences. Although NBCS may have several environmental benefits (e.g., coastal protection, carbon sequestration, greater biodiversity), we find that public knowledge on their likely effectiveness is limited. Therefore, if NBCS is deemed to be the way forward for coastal sustainability, more local stakeholder engagement on NBCS will be needed, potentially through systems mapping, in order to facilitate more robust and inclusive coastal management policies.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/124454
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123413
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Economics
Publisher	Elsevier
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