Tour de Coasts Advances Global Coastal Sustainability at SRI 2025

The Future Earth Coasts (FEC) continues advancing coastal sustainability through its dynamic ‘Tour de Coasts’ initiative. For the second year in a row, the flagship project convened an audience of researchers, policymakers, and community leaders at the Sustainability, Research and Innovation Congress (SRI) 2025. One stand-out panel discussion at the SRI 2025, “Tour de Coasts: Insights from the Global Coastal Sustainability Survey,” took place on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, IL, USA. The ‘Tour de Coasts’ session provided an extensive exploration of coastal challenges and community-driven solutions from around the world.

Launched in 2023 by Future Earth Coasts in collaboration with the University of South Carolina and Sciences for Sustainable Earth, the ‘Tour de Coasts’ set out to capture global perspectives on coastal sustainability. The goals of the ‘Tour de Coasts’ were to form a knowledge exchange about priority coastal sustainability concerns and to create a comprehensive understanding of coastal sustainability challenges and opportunities from a global perspective.

At the SRI 2025, the team introduced cornerstone achievement results: A global survey conducted in 2024 received over 200 responses from more than 70 countries. The survey illuminated a wide range of definitions of sustainability, barriers, contributions, and priorities in achieving coastal sustainability. The results also elevated promising local strategies and success stories from the frontlines of coastal action. The data highlighted the importance of both global collaboration and local leadership.

Dr. Xiaoyu Fang of Future Earth Coasts opened the session and set the stage by outlining the vision and evolution of ‘Tour de Coasts.’ Dr. Katya Altman presented the survey results, emphasizing both the common challenges and the locally developed, community-led innovations. “Connect with the FEC network, share your work and regional stories,” Altman emphasized continuous engagement, “let’s co-create a resilient future together!”

Two powerful case studies followed. Dr. Dwayne E. Porter shared insights from the EJ Strong initiative in South Carolina, which strengthens disaster risk reduction and recovery through community capacity building and environmental justice. Dr. Heath Kelsey spotlighted work in New Caledonia and Fiji, where participatory governance and co-design approaches are helping communities define their own priorities for sustainability and resilience.

The formal part of the session concluded with a presentation by Dr. Anja Scheffers, who outlined the way forward in achieving coastal sustainability, including investment in governance and leadership, mobilizing funding, advancing transdisciplinary research, empowering communities and youth, scaling up successful solutions, and fostering collaboration and accountability.

The session continued with a lively discussion and engaging Question and Answer time that once again emphasized the importance of the community taking ownership and outlining priorities in addressing sustainability concerns. What set this session apart was its commitment to equity and collaboration. The panel underscored the importance of integrating local and Indigenous knowledge, fostering co-designed decision-making, and prioritizing community-led solutions. Participants left the room not only with new data and case examples, but also with actionable strategies to replicate, scale, and adapt across coastal contexts globally.

The ‘Tour de Coasts’ session aligned closely with the SRI 2025 themes of One Health and Collaborative Decision-Making. By bridging science, policy, and lived experience, it sparked powerful conversations and forged new connections. As coastal communities confront rising challenges and shifting conditions, the message from SRI 2025 is clear: Sustainable futures are not only possible but they are also already being imagined and built by communities around the world.

Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to engage by visiting https://www.futureearthcoasts.org/tour-de-coasts/ and following us on LinkedIn at Future Earth Coasts.

未來地球海岸（FEC）通過其標志性的"全球海岸行"倡議持續推動海岸可持續發展。這一旗艦項目連續第二年在2025年全球可持續發展研究與創新大會（SRI 2025）上匯聚了研究人員、政策制定者和社區領袖。2025年6月16日在美國芝加哥舉行的"全球海岸行：全球海岸可持續發展調研成果分享"專題論壇成為大會亮點，深入探討了全球海岸挑戰及社區主導的解決方案。

該倡議由FEC與南卡羅來納大學、可持續地球科學組織于2023年聯合發起，旨在收集全球海岸可持續發展觀點。其目標是建立關于海岸可持續發展問題優先項的知識交流平臺，并從全球視角全面理解海岸可持續發展的挑戰與機遇。

團隊在SRI 2025上發布了里程碑式成果：2024年開展的全球調查收到來自70多個國家的200多份回復。調查揭示了可持續發展的多元定義、實現海岸可持續發展的障礙、貢獻因素和優先事項，同時突出了海岸行動前沿的本地策略和成功案例。數據強調了全球協作與地方領導力的重要性。

FEC方瀟雨博士主持論壇，闡述了"全球海岸行"的愿景與發展歷程。Katya Altman博士發布了調查結果，既強調了共同挑戰，也展示了本地開發的社區主導創新方案。"與FEC網絡建立聯系，分享您的工作和當地的故事，"Altman強調持續參與的重要性，"讓我們共同創造有韌性的未來！“

專題論壇上隨后展示了兩項典型案例。Dwayne E. Porter博士分享了南卡羅來納州"EJ Strong"倡議的見解，該計劃通過社區能力建設和環境正義來加強災害風險降低與恢復工作。Heath Kelsey博士重點介紹了新喀里多尼亞和斐濟的工作，在這些地區，參與式治理和共同設計方法正幫助社區確定其可持續性和韌性的優先事項。

論壇正式環節以Anja Scheffers博士的報告結束，她概述了實現海岸可持續發展的前進道路，包括投資治理和領導力、動員資金、推進跨學科研究、賦能社區和青年、推廣成功解決方案以及促進協作和問責制。

論壇隨后進行了熱烈的討論和問答環節，再次強調了社區在解決可持續發展問題中發揮主導作用和明確優先事項的重要性。本次論壇的獨特之處在于其對公平和協作的承諾。研究小組討論強調了整合本地和原住民知識、促進共同設計的決策過程以及優先考慮社區主導解決方案的重要性。與會者離場時不僅獲得了新數據和案例，還掌握了可在全球海岸環境中復制、擴展和調整的可操作策略。

"全球海岸行"專題討論會與SRI 2025的"全民健康"和"協同決策"主題高度契合。通過連接科學、政策和實際經驗，它引發了有力的對話并建立了新的聯系。隨著海岸社區面臨日益嚴峻的挑戰和不斷變化的環境，SRI 2025傳達的信息很明確：可持續的未來不僅可能實現，而且正在被全球各地的社區構想和建設。

敬請訪問https://www.futureearthcoasts.org/tour-de-coasts/并關注領英賬號Future Earth Coasts，獲取更多最新動態和參與機會。

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下載報告

The full Tour de Coasts final report is now available for download. Click“Read more”or scan the QR code below to read the report and explore its findings in detail.

《全球海岸可持續發展調研報告》完整版現已發布，點擊“閱讀原文”或識別圖中二維碼獲取報告全文。

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