21st November 2006

Email this Page |

A University of Ulster researcher has been appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s first Coastal and Marine Forum.

Professor Andrew Cooper, Co-director of the Centre for Coastal and Marine Research in the School of Environmental Sciences, will head up the group which was launched by the Department of the Environment last week. 

The Forum will assist government in the delivery of an integrated programme of coastal zone management.

“There is huge pressure on our coastal resources but they are finite and if we don’t manage them in an integrated way we may lose much that is of value,” said Professor Cooper. 

“We also have to consider future generations and ensure that we don’t leave the coast in a worse state than we found it.”

A recently published European Environment Agency report on the state of Europe’s coasts showed major changes in the patterns of land-use over the past ten years.  Most dramatic was the increase in areas of development at the expense of agricultural and semi-natural areas. 

“When we deal with the coast on a sector by sector basis we often don’t get the best value from our limited resources – only by considering all the options and selecting the best one can we achieve a sustainable future for the coast,” said Professor Cooper. 

“The forum offers a means of achieving integration in coastal management and thereby ensuring we get the most from our coast - that is our ultimate goal.”  

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter