The community impacts of coastal erosion

“A loss of place, anxiety, frustration…”

How would you feel if you lived by the sea and witnessed your favourite beach disappear or the coastline advance on your neighbourhood?

This week at the UCD Earth Institute seminar, ‘Navigating the Community Impacts of Coastal Change’, Dr (opens in a new window)Tomas Buitendijk spoke about his research exploring the community impacts of coastal erosion in Ireland. He has worked with communities in Louth and Wicklow, Ireland’s east coast being most affected. 

A postdoc at the UCD Earth Institute and with the Horizon Europe-funded 'Blue4All' project and the UCD School of Business, Dr Buitendijk is a member of MESSAGE - the Marine and Energy Social Sciences and Humanities Interdisciplinary Research Group. His research highlights the emotional and cultural impacts of erosion on local communities. 

Despite agreement on the need to mitigate erosion, there is no consensus on acceptable structures. Dr Buitendijk emphasises the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to find solutions that respect cultural functions and landscape values, balancing environmental protection with community needs.

Other speakers at the seminar, the latest in UCD Earth Institute’s Democracy and Environment Policy series, and held in the Museum of Literature Ireland, were Dr (opens in a new window)Shauna Creane, postdoc and marine geoscientist; Katherine Cronin, marine policy advisor at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and Xavier Monteys, senior geologist at the Geological Survey of Ireland. 

Eoin O’Neill, director of the UCD Earth Institute, opened the event, which was chaired by Fergus McAuliffe, Education, public engagement and communications manager at iCRAG, the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences.