A NEW WAY OF ENGAGING COASTAL STAKEHOLDERS: COASTRANGER MS

Abstract

The management of coastal change involves a range of stakeholders, ranging from local residents to government officials, whose backgrounds and expertise differ widely. It is necessary that these stakeholders understand the nature of future coastal changes and their potential impacts. This paper describes an innovative approach that has been developed to stimulate public debate and improve stakeholder understanding of the issues that need to be balanced in order to achieve sustainable long term coastal management solutions. The approach involves the creation of an educational tool (CoastRanger MS) that allows users to manage a virtual coast within a pc-gaming type environment.