Researchers in Europe and South Africa gather insight into coastal governance under climate change
Thanks to EU funding, the KNOWHOW (Knowledge production, communication and negotiation for coastal governance under climate change) project set out to improve the capacities of participant institutions and researchers in producing, translating and effectively delivering scientific knowledge to decision-makers. The emphasis was on local governments as key actors in climate change adaptation. KNOWHOW carried out 38 short research staff secondments between South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and 4 European institutions in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. The secondments were instrumental in strengthening networking and research collaborations. In addition, plans were laid out for future research collaborations in areas such as marine spatial planning, integrated coastal management and ocean economy. Project partners successfully facilitated many research collaborations focused on informing policy and decision-making. The majority of research initiatives involved interactions with stakeholders and were directly relevant to coastal management and climate change adaptation. The KNOWHOW team developed and tested a framework and methods to better understand local governance for climate change adaptation. The framework provides a basis to grasp the use of scientific and other types of knowledge by local governments for adaptation planning, and knowledge and capacity needs. Several workshops boosted the capacity of researchers to design, implement and communicate policy-relevant research. The events also provided various opportunities for engagement between researchers and stakeholders. KNOWHOW strengthened networks between European and South African research institutions. Through collaborative research, training workshops and interactions, it created research opportunities and capacity building for several early-career researchers, while facilitating the transfer of knowledge. The project also provided fertile ground for long-term collaborations between the participating institutions and the further expansion of their research networks.
Keywords
Coastal governance, climate change, KNOWHOW, knowledge production, climate change adaptation
