Coastal and estuarine waters are parts of the sea that dominate our everyday affairs. Our rapidly expanding use of and entry into the sea are mostly concerned with processes that take place in shallow water, and it is mostly within coastal waters that human acts, such as waste discharge, fishing/aquaculture, dredging, mining, drilling, and structures, have their greatest impact. The coastal zone is so important that it can often become embroiled in jurisdictional controversy. The coastal ecosystem also provides many important services including nursey grounds, coastal protection, biodiversity, carbon storage, tourism, and recreational benefits. The adaptation and resilience of the coastline is vitally important, and not just in Scotland.

The MASTS Coastal Forum brings together experts in areas such as coastal processes and dynamics, management, policy, social science, and biodiversity, ecology and conservation, thus providing a network for successful multidisciplinary marine and social science to address the management of the coastal zone and the ecosystem services it provides. Cooperative research, together with interactions with key decision makers, local communities and experts can assist scientists to help solve often-complex issues and help generate leads for new projects, insights and potential contracts.

• Interacting with the different communities which have an interest in the coastal research.
• Engaging with new partners and promoting collaboration across disciplines to further coastal research both at a national and international level.
• Discussing and helping to deliver the best scientific knowledge.