Public Use of the Coast: Connection to the Coast

Connection to the coast and the ocean can sometimes be termed 'ocean literacy'. Ocean literacy is defined as 'an understanding of the ocean's influence on a person and their influence on the ocean' (UNESCO, n.d.). There are ten elements of ocean literacy: knowledge, awareness, attitude, behaviour, activism, communication, emotional connection, access & experience, adaptive capacity, and trust & transparency (Marine Conservation Society, n.d.). Connection to the coast and ocean can be influenced by who is the using the coast and how.

A 2019 Scottish Government 'Attitudes to the Marine Environment' survey scored participants on a nature relatedness (NR) scale as per Nisbet & Zelenski (2013), where a higher NR score indicates stronger connectedness and awareness of the marine environment. Those with a higher NR score were more likely than those with a lower NR score to:

• Say they have undertaken any leisure activity at the Scottish sea or coast (e.g. walking, games, picnics, dog walking, wildlife watching, swimming etc)
• Have a higher knowledge of the marine environment (e.g. coastal tourism, recreation, scientific research etc.)
• Have a higher interest in learning more about the Scottish and global marine environment
• Say that the health of Scotland's seas worsened over the previous 12 months
• Express concern over marine environmental issues
• Take personal action e.g. reducing use of single use plastic bags, plastic straws, disposable tea/coffee cups - recycling more, beach clean ups/litter picking

So, use of the coast for many different activities can increase connection to the coast and ocean. Looking specifically at surfing as an example, 91% of participants to a study by Fox et al (2021) said that "connection to the ocean" was a motivating factor for surfing, with 77% reporting that their understanding of the ocean could be attributed to surfing. In terms of marine awareness, 72% of participants said they became aware of plasic pollution issues through surfing.

Being connected to the coast, and using the marine and coastal environment, can have positive impacts on both physical and mental wellbeing. Some cultural benefits (Bryce et al, 2016) include:

• Engagement and interaction with nature
• Place identity (e.g. sense of belonging)
• Therapeutic value (e.g. clearing head, feeling healthy, sense of freedom)
• Social bonding (e.g. spending time with others)
• Spiritual value (e.g. part of something greater than oneself)
• Memory/transformative value (e.g. memorable experiences)