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Human Dimensions of Coastal Areas

Residents along coasts often impact the coastal and marine regions more heavily than natural processes. Economic interests, societal behaviours and planning interventions assert an influence. To grasp these societal impacts and changes in their entirety, we in the “Human Dimensions of Coastal Areas” department conduct applied research in which we link societal analyses, impact research and strategy development for planning and management approaches in coastal areas.
We further develop theories of societal sustainability and vulnerability as well as planning and coastal management strategies and bring our knowledge to maritime spatial planning, risk management, coastal protection and climate change management. We contribute to national and international political advisory bodies. Our department specifically contributes to activities in the focal regions of coasts and climate change at the regional level, within the German Sustainability Strategy, the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.