Community Perceptions Towards Risks and Benefits of a Saltmarsh Restoration Project: Learning from a Case Study in the UK

Yamashita, Hiromi; Mikami, Naoyuki; McInnes, Rob; Everard, Mark

Abstract

Various coastal wetland restoration projects have been conducted in recent years in an attempt to revitalize fish stocks, prepare for sea level rise or for mitigation purposes. Due to the need for long-term social support and investment in such schemes, as well as to avoid potential conflict, it is becoming increasingly important to take into account the various perceptions within the community. The existing study results, although clearly listing the range of opinions expressed by citizens, lack investigation into aspects of environmental justice and risk communication. Citizens are sometimes branded as self-interested, hoping to receive short-term and tangible benefits with little care for coastal wetland environments or future generations. This representation reflects the findings from an in-depth study in the UK, which investigated various stakeholders’ perceptions of the benefits or ‘success’, and risks or ‘negative’ impacts of a salt marsh restoration project in Somerset. The questionnaires sent to all the households in the four stakeholder communities just by the project revealed that there has been a very positive perception towards the project in general. However, the reasons why the project was supported and how people saw its benefits were very different from the reasons of the project explained by the project contractor and the environmental conservation organization. This study provides insights into the types and levels of people’s perceptions towards restoration projects, and some thoughts for effective environmental communication and decision making for the future.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 7th International Symposium on Environmental Sociology in East Asia (ISESEA)
• Start Date: Oct 26, 2019
• End Date: Oct 28, 2019
• Acceptance Date: Aug 29, 2019
• Deposit Date: Aug 30, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 30, 2019
• Book Title: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Environmental Sociology in East Asia (ISESEA)
• Keywords: Social perception; environmental risk communication; participatory indicator development; Steart Peninsula; UK
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/2610497
• Contract Date: Aug 30, 2019