On 11-12 September 2025, members of the TRANSECTS project team joined coastal researchers, practitioners, and community representatives at the Coast-R Network Annual Forum 2025, held at the University of Glasgow’s Advanced Research Centre. The event, themed “Co-creating Resilient Coasts”, provided a dynamic and collaborative space to explore how we work across interfaces—between land and sea, research and practice, science and lived experience—to build resilience in coastal communities and ecosystems.
The TRANSECTS team attended both days of the forum, engaging in plenary sessions, workshops, and thematic sessions closely aligned with our project’s goals of transdisciplinary collaboration and increased coastal resilience.
Highlights included:
- Keynote by Howard Wood OBE, whose reflections on community-led marine conservation set the tone for the forum’s emphasis on lived experience and coastal community action.
- “Imagining Radical Futures”, facilitated by Culture for Climate Scotland, where creative methods (including seaweed and shells!) were used to develop a visual timeline through which to envisage transformative coastal futures.
- “Participatory Approaches for Climate-Resilient Communities – a Risky Cities Workshop”, which used participatory arts methods (the creation of a simple textile piece), to explore resilient coastal communities and seas.
Informal networking during the poster session and closing lunch also offered valuable opportunities to connect with collaborators across the UK coastal resilience landscape.
Attending the Coast-R Forum reinforced the importance of co-creation, transdisciplinarity, and ongoing dialogue in tackling the complex challenges facing our coasts. The TRANSECTS team left inspired and energised, with new ideas and connections to carry forward into the next phase of our work.
We’re grateful to the Coast-R Network for hosting such an inclusive and thought-provoking event and look forward to contributing to future forums and initiatives.