The latest news about Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC)

Below you will find the latest news about Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC).

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED until the 31st of January 2022

The Organizing committee of the LITTORAL22 Conference is pleased to announce that the deadline for abstract submission has been extended until January 31 st 2022!

Due to many requests for an extension, the conference organizing committee has agreed to revisit the timeline.

Abstracts are pouring in and the organizing committee would like to thank all those who have already submitted abstracts. It is great to see the interest in the conference.

The Scientific Committee will review all abstracts and all submitters will receive information on whether their abstract has been accepted end of February 2022, the latest.
Those who have not submitted an abstract yet are encouraged to do so here.

All accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference eBook.
Find more information and refresh deadlines at
 the conference website.

Coast&Sea Guide 2021

Kust&Zee Gids (the Netherlands)


Our free annual magazine (in Dutch) with information about sustainable tourism destinations, nature, coastal and marine protection and management in the Netherlands for the general public.

Open here the digital, interactive version of Kust&Zee Gids 2021.

Conference announcement | LITTORAL21 postponed to 2022

It is with great disappointment that we are announcing the postponement of LITTORAL21. The Organising Committee hereby informs that based on the current uncertainty about future travel and social distancing arrangements, we have taken the extremely difficult decision to postpone the conference until September 2022.  

Given the value of face-to-face interaction for knowledge exchange, the highly interactive nature of our sessions and the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, we have decided to postpone and plan to come back stronger in 2022.
 
This event will take place between 12-16 September 2022 in Lisbon - Portugal, bringing together an opportunity for all participants to visit and enjoy our coast.

We are also considering the possibility to offer online access - to ensure international accessibility to the conference and reduce the carbon footprint of those less likely to travel to Lisbon.
 
We thank you for your understanding and LITTORAL22 conference awaits you all!

Get ready and submit your abstract!

The LITTORAL22 Scientific Program Committee invites authors to submit an abstract for either an oral or a poster presentation.
Abstract submission date: 31 October 2021

Please ensure you submit your abstract using the online submission form published on the conference website.
Abstracts received via e-mail will not be considered.

Abstracts must not exceed 500 words. You can submit as many abstracts as you want. However, an author cannot be the first author of more than two oral / poster presentations and cannot present more than two papers at the conference.

Authors whose abstracts have been accepted will be notified via email on 30 November 2021.

All accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference e-Book.

FIND MORE

EUCC Newsletter | Autumn 2020

Contents EUCC Newsletter | Autumn 2020

Editorial


Welcome to the Coastal and Marine Union (EUCC) News – continuing to link scientists, practitioners and policy makers, promoting a focus on coastal sustainability across Europe.

 
As the political, socio-economic and physical landscape changes around us, we continue to provide expertise for the land-sea interface. Perhaps I am not alone in believing that the coastal zone is the most complex for people to manage sustainably. Coastal resources are highly valued by people, yet in so many areas of Europe they are over-exploited and over-populated, whilst at the frontline of climate change impacts. Our expertise will be increasingly necessary to tackle the challenges ahead: to maintain our wonderful coastal scenery, habitats & species - with wild spaces and recreation opportunities to fuel our well-being. In the spirit of Integrated Coastal (Zone) Management we know how to balance people’s connection to the sea alongside functioning ports, harbours and industrial zones, whilst providing for a sustainable fishing and tourist industry and new renewable energy opportunities.


EUCC has spent over 30 years championing the coast, responding to the changing agendas of the European Commission and bringing coastal enthusiasts together to provide a platform for networking and collaboration on strategic projects. As we enter this next decade from an unpredicted starting place, we look forward to new opportunities. EUCC’s international office in The Netherlands retains strong links with the European Commission, continuing to deliver strategic thinking and practical recommendations required by Member States. With this EUCC News, we are pleased to announce the next Littoral conference – in Lisbon, September 2021 – where we hope friends old and new will have the opportunity to meet once again.

Natasha Barker Bradshaw
EUCC President

Latest Insights on Our Work

We are pleased to share with you with our most recent work and achievements. The EUCC team has been an active member of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Coordination Group and its technical groups on Marine Litter and Underwater noise (Good Environmental Status GES descriptors nrs. 10 and 11) since 2012. Recently the EUCC team co-author technical reports and has been involved in the development and production of publications, such as the Communication Report: Management and monitoring of underwater noise in European Seas - Overview of main European-funded projects and other relevant initiatives. Prepared by the Technical Group on Underwater Noise (TG Noise). This report provides up-to-date information regarding the main European-funded projects and other relevant initiatives in the field of underwater sound.

In recent years, significant efforts have been made in the implementation of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, and we have actively participated as an observer to the EC MS Expert Group (MSEG) – on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) group led by EC DG MARE, and attended several meetings since we joined as observers in 2017.

Based on our experience and our commitment to the MSEG-MSP group, the EUCC has been recently requested to lead and coordinate technical support projects related to the implementation of MSP and Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Malta, and coastal erosion and protection, considering the effects of climate change, following requests from the Structural Reform Support Service of the European Commission (DG REFORM).

Check our website and contact us for more information!

Maria Ferreira
EUCC International Programme

Maritime Spatial Planning News: EC (DG MARE) MSP Member States Expert Group

Maritime Spatial Planning News: EC (DG MARE) MSP Member States Expert Group


As observers of the EC Member State Expert Group on Maritime Spatial Planning, EUCC representatives keep a watching brief over MSP progress across Europe. Most Member States are nearing completion of their first iteration of marine plans, with the timeline set in the MSP Directive for 2021 fast approaching.  The 18th meeting of this group had to take place online for the first time in May 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, but  this enabled wider participation of Member State representatives from 20 countries across Europe. Many Member States are in their final stages of consultation on draft plans. The Expert Group encourages sharing of knowledge about approaches such as the application of an Ecosystem Based Approach and tools for the assessment, monitoring and revision of plans.  Useful recent guidance includes:

Many civil society organisations, led by Seas at Risk, have presented a Blue Manifesto roadmap  to a healthy ocean in 2030: https://seas-at-risk.org/images/pdf/publications/SAR_BLUE_MANIFESTO_DEPLIANT_A4_plie_BaT.pdf  WWF have issued guidance this year on achieving an ecosystem approach to marine spatial plans: https://www.wwf.eu/?uNewsID=360836

The European MSP Platform  operates an Assistance Mechanism: https://www.msp-platform.eu/events/18th-maritime-spatial-expert-group-mseg-meeting

Updates are provided on MSP projects  such as MARSPLAN-BS II; MSP-MED; SimAtlantic, PHAROS4MPAs and Ocean Metiss.
For the latest information see: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/en/frontpage/581 and https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/

Natasha Barker Bradshaw
EUCC President

European Dunes | Still Going Strong

Renewed attention for networking and information exchange!

Those who were subscribed to the news of EUCC France and of EUCC Germany’s Beach and Dune Network have been served very well over the last decades and we are pleased to confirm that these commitments remain. The EUCC Newsletter will again remind the membership on important events and information, linking to these resources and networks.
European networking on dunes has a long history. 33 Years ago, Dutch Duinbehoud convened managers and researchers of coastal sand dunes, beaches and shingle systems in Leiden (NL). At this first European Dune conference the EURODUNES newsletter and the European Union for Dune Conservation and Coastal management (EUDC) were founded. Networking and information exchange of the “European dune network” continued through dozens of dune workshops, at least once every year, in which EUCC’s French, British and Dutch members have been most active. News exchange has long been ensured by EUCC-UK through the Liverpool Hope University, by EUCC-France and through the Beach and Dune News blog was maintained by Maike Isermann and hosted by EUCC-Germany. All this will again be linked.
European news:  The Beach and Dune Network webpage has been updated and hosts an impressive number of recent articles. Have a look in the webpage yourself!
Field workshops:  Those interested in visiting a dune workshop: the next one is planned by EUCC France in Calvados, Normandy. It was initially scheduled for October 2020, but it had to be postponed to 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Check the workshop site.
News from the UK: the UK Sand Dune & Shingle Network is about to be relaunched! If you want to renew your membership to the mailing list to receive news please e-mail dunes@hope.ac.uk to express your interest.

Albert Salman
EUCC Board Member

EUCC Supports the Development of Coastal Protection Strategies in Spain

The EUCC team coordinates the development of three projects, following a request from the European Commission’s Structural Reform Support Service and the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
These projects concern the development of Strategies for Coastal Protection considering the climate change effects for the provinces of Cádiz, Málaga and Almería and for the Balearic Islands. On the 1 st of October, the third project dedicated to developing a National Strategic Plan for Coastal Protection in Spain has also officially started.
These initiatives are successfully being implementing in close cooperation with a national team of experts, led by the Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria "IHCantabria", the University of Cadiz, MedCities, Sistema de Observación y Predicción Costero de las Islas Baleares “ICTS SOCIB” and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. IN addition, a group of international experts is also engaged to provide their advice and recommendations for the development of these strategies and the future strategic national plan.
The technical teams carry out a diagnosis for better understanding of the coastal erosion problems, an analysis of possible scenarios and risk reduction options, and design the Coastal Protection Strategies. The Strategies will be developed considering other relevant key stakeholders in the provinces and islands.
Check more details about our work and current projects here

Maria Ferreira
EUCC International Programme

North Sea Fishing Nets Free | North Sea Nets Free

The EUCC, together with the Dutch North Sea Foundation, started in 2016 a project called “North Sea fishing nets Free / Noordzee Netten-Vrij). Our main goal was to achieve a great reduction in the number of pieces of net / rope material in the North Sea. After 3,5 years and at the end of this project we can conclude that there is no reason anymore for a Dutch fisherman to dump nets in the sea or dump garbage in a harbor. Almost every Dutch harbor now has an effective waste management system and old fishing nets can be delivered (most of the time for free) to the waste processor.
EUCC has been promoting Healthy Seas in most of the Dutch Harbors at various (fishing)markets and fishing events to show that sustainable use of the sea is profitable for everyone.

Robert Steenbergen
EUCC General Affairs

Coast&Sea Guide 2020

Kust&Zee Gids (the Netherlands)


Our free annual magazine (in Dutch) with information about sustainable tourism destinations, nature, coastal and marine protection and management in the Netherlands for the general public.

Open here the digital, interactive version of Kust&Zee Gids 2020.

Coast&Sea Guide 2019

Kust&Zee Gids (the Netherlands)


Our free annual magazine (in Dutch) with information about sustainable tourism destinations, nature, coastal and marine protection and management in the Netherlands for the general public.

Open here the digital, interactive version of Kust&Zee Gids 2019.

Subscribe To Our News here!

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Archive

05/25/2018 - GDPR update: stay with us!

04/03/2018 - Littoral Conference 2018 - Abstract Submission Extension  

02/06/2018 - EUCC News alert - February 2018

11/27/2017 - LITTORAL 2018 - 22-26 OCTOBER Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

07/29/2017 - Magazine Coastal & Marine 2016-3

07/17/2017 - Update Littoral 2017 Conference - 5th - 7th September 2017, Liverpool Hope

In Memoriam: Erik van Dijk (1948 – 2019)

On 4 May 2019 Dr. H.W.J van Dijk passed away after more than a year of fighting against brain tumor. After his Biology graduation in Amsterdam, I met Erik for the first time in 1975, when he was selected for a PhD grant to investigate the impacts of the river-water infiltration scheme for drinking water supply to the ecology of the Dutch coastal sand dunes. That was his entry into the coastal community, which he never really left until his death.

Erik coached numerous students from the Universities of Leiden and Wageningen and successfully defended his PhD-thesis in 1984. Erik and I had been among the founding fathers of Dutchfoundation for dune conservation and In 1987 we organized the first European Dune Conference in Leiden at the occasion of its 10-years anniversary. It was the start of the EUCC and its conference series.

As a provincial officer in Overijssel, Erik worked in various projects concerning water and energy saving. His passion always remained close to nature and water, for example by serving as a liaison officer on international water experience with Eastern European and later Vietnamese counterparts; and by serving as vice-president of the Dutch Wadden Sea Society. And he loved travelling and photography, which is why he so much enjoyed organizing field trips for the Royal Dutch society for natural history (KNNV).

I was happy to be able to involve Erik in the preparation and project management of a 4 million- euro EUCC-led project on mussel bed restoration in the Dutch Wadden Sea, Mosselwad (2009-2015). This project enabled Erik to successfully and happily conclude his professional career until his retirement in 2015. The last four years Erik was Treasurer of the EUCC. I am grateful and privileged that I was given the opportunity to be part of his life.

By, Albert Salman, Chairman, Leiden Office, Coastal & Marine Union EUCC.

Looking back at LITTORAL 2018 - 22-26 OCTOBER Leeuwarden, The Netherlands 

Our three-day international conference and excursions exploring the deltas and the littoral in and around the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands was very successful.

We look back at 4 great days filled with interesting presentations, discussions and social meetings.

Thanks for all who joined us in Leeuwarden!

You can now find more information and photos at:
https://www.facebook.com/Littoral2018/
In the Dutch EUCC page: https://www.kustenzee.nl/

25 innovative solutions to combat plastic marine litter

A unique tool for businesses, entrepreneurs and civil society organizations in the Med Region
to take action

This new publication released by UN Environment/MAP - SCP/RAC, and with technical contribution by Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC), intends to inspire and provide practical indications to implement marine litter solutions in the Mediterranean region.

Download it now.

SCP/RAC and SwitchMed support entrepreneurs and CSOs to take action through technical assistance and seed funding. These solutions not only would benefit the environment in the MENA region, but also provide socio-economic development.

The “25 innovative and inspiring solutions to combat plastic marine litter in the Mediterranean Region” publication is conceived as a practical tool for entrepreneurs and CSOs to identify the best solution for their context and be guided toward its successful implementation.

The 25 solutions have been prioritized through a multi-criteria analysis of their effectiveness and replicability in the MENA region. They have been grouped following the different stages of the product-to-waste chain.

A French version of the publication is also available here.

New YPCC Programme 2018 online

The Young Professionals Coastal Community entails the establishment of an educational programme based on the Climate of Coastal Cooperation (CCC) book  in close cooperation with young professionals, experts and academia.  The educational programme from Impacts of Global Change to Adaptive Responses and stimulates students and young professionals to engage in a topic related to the impacts of climate change, specifically on ‘their stretch of coast’. Participation in the programme also includes a lecture- and fieldwork-weekend on the Dutch Waddensea Isle of Ameland and the opportunity to present research at our international Conference LITTORAL.

Learn more about this at ypcc and join YPCC  2018!