The Biennial Social Coast Forum held in Charleston, South Carolina earlier this month brought social scientists and coastal managers together to share information and research about people - where they live, what they do, and what they value - to aid coastal resource management.

The forum highlightedseveral NCCOS social science research projects, including: the social valuation of ecosystem services for National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Marine Sanctuary sites, assessments of climate vulnerability for coastal communities in the Chesapeake Bay, and socioeconomic monitoring of U.S. coral reef jurisdictions.The projects werepresented in sessions focused on the integration of social science into coastal management; assessing community vulnerability and resilience; and attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about coastal management issues.

NCCOS social scientists from Charleston, South Carolina and Oxford, Maryland participated in the forum along with other NOAA scientists, Sea Grant and extension researchers, and coastal managers.

For more on NCCOS social science research, visit related project pages online:

• Social Values of Ecosystem Services in Marine Protected Areas for Management Decision-making
• Science in Support of Adaptation Planning for Climate Variability and Coastal Hazard Vulnerability in the Chesapeake Bay
• National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan Implementation: Biological and Socioeconomic Monitoring

For more information, contact Maria.Dillard@noaa.gov.

NCCOS social scientist, Matt Gorstein, presents results of the socioeconomic monitoring of coral reef communities. Credit: NOAA.