Few coastal management issues lend themselves to simple, easy-to-implement solutions. Managers face a myriad of obstacles beyond the technical elements of these issues when trying to select and implement a strategy to deal with any coastal management issue. Understanding the people on the ground, including things like their social and economic situations, cultural perspectives, and preconceived feelings and thoughts about the coastal environment and coastal hazards all play into the effectiveness of different management approaches.

The third biennial Social Science for Coastal Decision-Making Conference, taking place from February 9th – 11th, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina, provides a forum for coastal management professionals from academia, local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profits, and private industry, to come together to share their ideas, experiences, resources, and tools relating to applying the best practices from social science to coastal management. The conference includes a variety of session types including short oral presentaitons, tradiational oral presentations, facilitated issue-based discussions, tool demonstrations, and interactive skill-building workshops. 

You can find more information on the session types and forum tracks on the Southeast Climate Consortium website here. Registration for the conference is expected to open in mid-November. Check the conference website for details.