Article | Open Access
Coastal Future CoLabs: A Transdisciplinary Framework for Justice‐Oriented Coastal Erosion Management
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Abstract: With 40% of the global population living coastally, accelerating coastal erosion threatens homes, livelihoods, ecosystems, and wellbeing. Despite the global scale of coastal erosion, most prevention, mitigation, and adaptation measures are undertaken at the local scale. Local councils and municipal governments are key decision-makers in this space but often operate with limited resources. Capacity building at this scale is therefore critical to avoid top-down, reactive approaches, which often compound negative impacts on biodiversity and community wellbeing. However, adaptation and mitigation tools tailored for local governments are limited. To address this gap, we co-developed a transdisciplinary conceptual framework grounded in blue justice principles with Huon Valley Council, a local government in Tasmania, Australia, in response to the challenges and needs of a coastal community within its jurisdiction, Garden Island Creek, experiencing high rates of coastal erosion. The Coastal Future CoLabs framework emerged through this co-production process as a novel integrated tool that considers the social, environmental, and governance aspects of coastal erosion. In doing so, the framework uniquely demonstrates how local councils can be supported to foster community-based, forward-looking approaches to coastal erosion. It offers a justice-oriented, adaptable tool and process for local governments worldwide facing similar issues associated with coastal erosion.
Keywords: blue justice; coastal erosion management; coastal governance; just adaptation; local government
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Vol 3 (2026): Empowerment and Blue Justice in Coastal Communities (In Progress)
© Bianca Suarez, Malcolm S. Johnson, Edith Shum, Kianna M. Gallagher, and Hevi K. Hardini. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction of the work without further permission provided the original author(s) and source are credited.