COST Action CA22122 Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts & Opportunities (RethinkBlue)
The RethinkBlue COST Action centres around the Blue Economy and related policies affecting European societies. In the EU, the Blue Economy paradigm involves regional and national political-economic priorities, new legislative and governance frameworks, as well as financial support for sectors of the marine economy. However, the impact of these policies on coastal populations are not yet well-understood. Accelerating globalization, technological developments and the impact of climate change pose additional challenges.
The purpose of this Action is to rethink the Blue Economy. First, by assessing its impact on coastal societies, and second, by exploring opportunities deriving from innovations and potential synergies between established and emergent marine activities. The guiding research questions are:
1. What are the impacts, positive or negative, of Blue Economy developments on human well-being, social equity and the economic and environmental sustainability of coastal societies?
2. What are potential opportunities for innovations and synergies between sectors?
Knowledge exchange and capacity building will be facilitated through meetings, research workshops, an online seminar series, training schools, and conferences. Action includes 33 COST members represented, and 20 ITC countries. Action Chair is Dr Dražen Cepić and Action Vice-Chair Prof Birgit Pauksztat.
Action keywords: Blue Economy - Maritime governance and policy - Socio-economic transformations - Social, economic and environmental sustainability - Coastal societies
Scientific interactions focus on five themes:
WG1 Maritime Occupations,
WG2 Food Security & Sustainable Blue Consumption,
WG3 Port Cities & Coastal Communities,
WG4 Fisheries Governance & Emergent Activities,
WG5 Climate Change & Natural Hazards.
The COST Action CA22122 is being implemented from 30 October 2023 to 29 October 2027. Members of the Management Committee are Assoc. Prof. Senka Šekularac-Ivošević and Assis. Prof. Miroslav Vukičević. Prof. Senka Šekularac-Ivošević is Rethink Blue Country Ambassador.
The academic staff from the Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor University of Montenegro is part of WG1 Maritime Occupations. WG 1 Members are Assoc. prof. Senka Šekularac-Ivošević, Assis. prof. Miroslav Vukičević, Prof. Špiro Ivošević and MSc Dragana Milošević.
Working group 1 “Maritime Occupations” - focuses on work and employment in different maritime professions and occupations: fishing, maritime transportation, coastal and maritime tourism etc. We look at the transformations of maritime professions and occupations both in terms of employment in connection with economic trends, environmental changes, political regulations etc. and in terms of identities and relations to work. One of our first aims is to allow an overview of challenges and opportunities with regards to various maritime professions, finding common elements and building a sort of “(road) map of challenges and opportunities in blue economy: new skills-competencies vs skill retainment, new potential workers (groups normally not in maritime professions of various reasons) vs “old” workers, different countries’ profiles etc.
Core Research themes are:
• Employment and careers
• Occupational and organizational culture
• Impact of technological change
• Social networks
• Well-being of individuals and crews.
Prof. Senka Šekularac-Ivošević is also member of Action WG 3 “Port cities & coastal communities”
Working group 3 “Port cities & coastal communities” - Port cities and coastal communities as complex organizations that are deeply connected with local spaces, culture, economy, and environment. The Blue Economy operates always within a social and spatial context, recognizing the connections between ports, cities, and coastal communities, involving diverse groups, actors, and institutions. Our task, among others, is to understand how these cities and communities can balance economic growth with environmental protection. The focus of Working Group 3 is on port cities and coastal communities, which are vital due to their strategic locations and reliance on marine spaces and resources.
Core Research Themes are:
• Tourism and recreational use of ports and coastal areas
• Coastal demography and new inhabitants, e.g.
• Labour migrants, maritime lifestyle migrants etc.
• Conflicts between different users
• Identity, maritime heritage and history: different uses of the past.
For more information, see www.rethinkblue.eu
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This publication is based upon work from the COST Action RethinkBlue (CA22122), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation. |
