Socio-economic interactions

Marine resource management

ICIT has a strong interdisciplinary work ethic.  Understanding the social, economic and governance issues of the various marine stakeholders is fundamental to resolving conflict.

Our research projects examine the activities and impact caused by the behaviour of fishers, and the interactions between the fishing industry and the oil and gas industry - from development to abandonment.

EU Framework Programme

Two major EU Framework Programme projects (Islas Mingas and Valcoast) examined conflicts between industrial development, tourism and fisheries in the Mediterranean islands, the Galapagos and the Caribbean.

Amongst other things these projects explored the use of novel techniques (AGORA) to identify and describe value conflicts between different stakeholder groups.

Marine renewables impact analysis

The potential deployment of large scale commercial wave and tidal energy operations raises important socio-economic questions.  Major advances in marine technology and resource exploitation have forced changes in governance and allocation of sea space

Oil and gas development and aquaculture are key examples of rapidly developing technologies which continue to influence policy direction. 

The enclosure of large areas of the sea for marine energy development will have important impacts on users of the sea, coastal communities and marine governance.

Efficient planning processes

We have a keen interest in the development of efficient planning processes which accommodates the various needs of local sea users and national energy policy.