Coastal communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, recreational opportunities, and sense of identity. Public perceptions often influence how decision makers protect and manage these resources. Social science tools and information can help officials understand and consider the relationships that exist between people, their communities, and coastal resources.
A new effort within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Services Center focuses on social science products and services. The Human Dimensions program specializes in applying social science tools such as needs assessments, surveys, and content analysis.
The following represent some of the current social science services offered by the NOAA Coastal Services Center.
Technical Assistance
Surveys, interviews, focus groups, content analysis, stakeholder analysis – Many tools are available to help managers better understand the behaviors, values, and opinions of their audience. The Center assists coastal managers in selecting tools that best meet their needs, and works with clients to help implement the appropriate social science tools.
Two of the most frequently requested tools are needs assessments and social assessments.
A needs assessment is a systematic approach that gets to the heart of an issue by identifying the information gaps and barriers to understanding that surround a particular issue. The Center provides an on-line training course that explains the basic principles of needs assessments and assists managers who need to conduct an assessment.
A social assessment is a process that employs a variety of social science methods to characterize the social environment (social processes, social changes, and population demographics) in which coastal managers are working. This type of information helps managers develop policies and programs that are tailored to their audience, socially feasible, and acceptable to community members.
Training
Coastal community planning and development training and assistance – There is more than one way for a community to grow, and the Center can help state and local decision makers understand the economic, environmental, and social impacts of various approaches to development. A Web site also illustrates these concepts and impacts by comparing development strategies at a real site in coastal Georgia.
Visitor use management training – A need exists for common and consistent management approaches to balance the protection of natural resources with opportunities for multiple uses by the public. This training helps managers develop a systematic process for planning, monitoring, and managing visitor use.
To access these services and learn more, visit www.csc.noaa.gov/socialscience/. Contact the NOAACoastalServicesCenter's Human Dimensions program at nos.csc.human.dimensions@ noaa.gov to discover how social science and the Center might assist your organization.
