1. Perceptions, knowledge claims and managements of coasts
Hans von Storch
Institute for Coastal Research GKSS Research Center, Germany
Twelfth Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology, PACON 2006: Marine Science and Technology in Asia, Yangon, Myanmar, June 11-15, 2006

2. The coastal zone ... Most people live here.
Provides a large variety of services and goods (e.g., fisheries, energy, aestetic pleasure)
Is continuously changed by man.

3. RADARSAT ScanSAR Image 9.June1996

4. Shipping

5. Fishing

6. Off shore industry

7. Energy

8. mariculture

9. tourism

10. Deposition of waste

11. Military use

13. The coastal zone ...
Needs a sustainable development for ongoingly providing goods and services.
Is undergoing a change of utility, from industrial („mature“ economy) to high-quality lifestyles (information based „new“ economy).

14. Coastal Research Coasts need to be managed.
Management needs a scientific basis.
Natural and social/cultural sciences needed for guiding the process of exploiting the full potential of the coastal zone in future economies and societies.

15. Natural and Anthropogenic
Coastal Management Research
Traffic and
Off-shore work
safetiness
Transport of matter
Tourism
Climate change
Monitoring
Eco-
systems
Coastal
protection
Marine
resources
Flood
forecast
Safety in
coastal traffic and
offshore structures
Natural and Anthropogenic
long term trends

16. Task: Monitoring the state and the change of the coastal environment
Affordable
Reliable
Holistic
High-tech economic enterprise.

17. EUROROSE: Gijón Experiment
WaMoS II
HF Radar
WaveBuoy
Gijon
ERS-2
SAR
EUROROSE: Gijón Experiment
Waves mapped by SAR onboard of the ERS-2 Satellite

18. WERA VHS radar VTS Gijón Heinz Günther, Coordinator of EUROROSE
WaMoS II
WERA VHS radar
Heinz Günther, Coordinator of EUROROSE

19. User interface: current speed and direction
Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
User interface: current speed and direction

20. Challenge: Climate Change (and other anthropogenic impacts)
Man-made climate change is underway.
Part of the recent climate change is due to natural processes, another part is man-made.
Climate change may presents stress on society and economy, which may be sometimes healthy as it enforces modernization and improvements.

22. Scenario for North Sea in 2085
Change of strong westerly winds (m/s)
Change in wind-related water levels (99%iles; m)

23. Problem: Postnormal Science
Postnormal science: high stakes, high uncertainty. Competition of different knowledge claims.
Environmental science is in most cases postnormal science.
The problem is not insufficient natural science knowledge about details but about the integration of a variety of vested interests and their related knowledge claims.

24. For a long time, the „market of knowledge“ was dominated by science, specifically by natural science.
Today various forms of knowledge claims are competing on this market. This is in particular so with respect to knowledge about the environment, which is widely used to support various normative views of different stakeholders.

25. Competing knowledge forms are
Prescientific and outdated, or discredited, scientific knowledge.
Reinterpreted knowledge (media), resulting from a selection and metamorphosis of scientific knowledge for public information.
Science specifically designed to represent vested interests.
Ideological, religious and ethical knowledge.
Everyday knowledge.
Traditional (indigenous) knowledge.

26. manageable Natural science Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
„The coast can be computed and
is manageable.“
manageable

27. endagered Environmentalists „Man is destroying nature.“
Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
„Man is destroying nature.“
endagered
Der Mensch zerstört
die Küste

28. unadulterated Health industry / tourism Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
„The coast is natural. Its purity and originality makes it a place for relaxation, mental and bodily recovery.“
unadulterated

29. externally controlled
Local interests
externally controlled
Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
„Locals know what is best for their region. They
don‘t need governmental regulations.“

30. threatening Coastal safety Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
threatening
„Nature needs to be controlled to ensure safety.“

31. Conclusion
The different forms of knowledge claims compete in daily conversations and the public discourse.
For a knowledge claim to „win“ on the knowledge market, it must allow for practical implementation. Also, it must be plausible, i.e. be consistent with traditional knowledge.
Natural science knowledge often lacks both characteristics (applicability, plausibility), because this type of knowledge is disaggregated without allowing an overall assessment of a problem and its solution. What is needed is the integration of different knowledge aspects, instead.

32. Institut für Küstenforschung
I f K
Coastal research should be designed to assist the public in gaining an understanding of the phenomena and perspectives. This task needs:
Interpretive analysis of risks
Presentation of scientific concepts and notions in a cultural and social context.
For accomplishing these needs, cooperation between natural scientists and social and cultural scientists is urgently required.