PRO-Coast

16/12/2025

Coastal Clean-Up in the Kloogaranna Area
Today we took part in a beach clean-up at Meremõisa, in the Kloogaranna coastal area, working for the benefit of the environment, the local community, and European science! 💪🤝🌍
🏫 Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech - Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) Tartu College is involved in a research and innovation project funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. The project focuses on the protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems.
🔬 PRO-Coast (Empowering communities to drive proactive change for coastal biodiversity and ecosystem services) is a 36-month EU-funded initiative that aims to strengthen the role of local communities in conserving biodiversity and improving ecosystem services along European coastlines. 🌱
📍 One of the project's test areas is located in the Kloogaranna–Laulasmaa coastal region of Western-Harju municipality (Estonia), which is why today’s clean-up took place at Meremõisa beach.
👉 During the cleanup, we collected coastal litter to create two symbolic "waste beacons," raising awareness about pollution and sustainable practices.
This action supported two initiatives:
The PRO-Coast research and innovation project
And the Harju Fishing Association’s initiative to promote fisheries and maritime heritage as part of the “Paldiski Day – In the Rhythm of Sea Winds” festival. 🌊🎣
📧 For more information about the project:
PRO-Coast Estonian Project Manager: Kaire Luuk
✉️ [email protected]

11/12/2025

PRO-Coast from the Romanian case study, lead by TotalPR , the next presentation by Costa Nostrum
@ακόλουθοι

08/12/2025

PRO-Coast member of the consortium Costa Nostrum is presenting the historical bckground of the Estonian Case study led by TalTech - Tallinna Tehnikaülikool
PRO-Coast

08/12/2025

PRO-Coast is heading to the most decisive global forum for biodiversity! 🌍

We are proud to announce that the PRO-Coast project participated in the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the foremost global event shaping the future of biodiversity and sustainability.
This is a pivotal moment for our mission to empower coastal communities across Europe. At the Congress, we have shared our groundbreaking work on community-led, social-ecological approaches to coastal conservation, including our frameworks like CUSP (Community Sustainability Platform) and REDS (Reciprocal Environmental Decision Support).
This important global event, matters a lot because:
Global Stage: It is contributing to the European insights on inclusive governance and community stewardship to the international dialogue.
Networking & Collaboration: It's connecting PRO-Coast with global leaders, NGOs, and researchers to amplify impact and foster partnerships.
Policy Influence: It's helping the shape of the global conservation agenda with practical, citizen - centered models for resilience.

Together, we can turn the tide for our coasts. 🌊
PRO-Coast

13 October 2025 - IUCN Members have voted to adopt a new 20-year Strategic Vision and four-year Programme

27/11/2025

PRO-Coast member, Costa Nostrum, is presenting another Analysis, this time for the Maltese Case Study in Comino, with the help of the Friends of the Earth Malta. For centuries, the Blue Lagoon of Comino has been guarded by a silent force. ⛵ Phoenicians saw a mirror, 🏴‍☠️ pirates dared not touch its heart, and the Knights of St. John built a tower as its sentinel.

This turquoise heart of Malta remembers all.

Now, its protection is in our hands. Through the PRO-Coast project, Costa Nostrum is analyzing this jewel, ensuring its story doesn't end with us.

The ancient command still echoes: “Leave nothing behind except your footprints on the sand, and even those will be washed away by the sea.” 🌊

Let's become the new guardians it deserves.

25/11/2025

The member of the PRO-Coast and responsible for the analysis and description of the 10 aquatic eco-systems of the project, the Greek is explaining the Norwegian Case Study with some awesome pictures and a small story to empower the overall case study:
🌊 There’s a story behind every name, and a memory beneath every wave
🇬🇧 The area of Melkeviken (Mjølkevika) -or “The Bay of Milk”- was once, many years ago, the place where cows were gathered for milking, giving the area its name. Here ran the old boundary between inland and coastal lands - a line still visible in the traces of the stone fence, some remains of which survive to this day.
By the late 18th century, a small homestead had been established here, first mentioned in 1790 with Elling Olsen Ulland as the tenant - likely the man who first cleared the land beneath the cliff, close to the sea. The houses were abandoned in the 1860s, yet their ruins still stand in silence, witnesses of a time when life and nature coexisted simply and harmoniously.
Today, the name Melkeviken (Mjølkevika) carries with it that same sense of continuity - a gentle example of coexistence between people and nature; a clear, accessible bay where history meets sustainability. From the soil and the milk of yesterday, to the sea and the clarity of today - a bay that reminds us that every drop of water holds stories of people, landscapes, and memory. Once, the milk of the farming communities flowed here; now, the sea flows in its place - pure and serene, reminding us that tradition and nature remain inseparably bound.
📍 https://maps.app.goo.gl/1ocJEZsGXq6B3xq36

19/11/2025

🐿️ A huge thank you to the amazing community of Arne Parish! This week, we hosted a vibrant community event with over 40 residents, discussing the future of local squirrel populations as a key part of the European PRO-Coast project. It was a fantastic evening of knowledge-sharing and collaboration, featuring insights from red squirrel expert Craig Shuttleworth, alongside project researchers Robert Kenward and Perline Bastid.The community’s perspectives, gathered through surveys, are absolutely vital for shaping the next steps in local conservation. This is what proactive, community-led change looks like! 👏

18/11/2025

The final day of our PRO-Coast hosted by Atlantic Technological University focused on a critical mission: empowering our case study leaders to champion the CUSP framework.
A key part of this was a dedicated communication training session, expertly led by PR&More and ESUG. The workshop equipped our leaders with essential skills in Press & Media Relations and the strategic use of Social Media to amplify our message.
But what is the core message? CUSP acts as a coastal system "health check." It provides policymakers and communities with the critical data needed to diagnose pressures, track progress, and steer governance toward truly sustainable outcomes.
CUSP doesn't work alone. It's powered by specialised tools that examine the human-nature interface from every angle:
🔍 CHUI (The Cultural Lens): How do local identity and heritage influence coastal balance?
💡 REDS (The Behavioural Lens): How can we effectively encourage sustainable behaviours?
Together, this integrated suite empowers communities to make informed decisions for the long-term health of our precious coastal regions.

PRO-Coast

13/11/2025

🚀 Day 2 of the PRO-Coast Consortium Meeting in Sligo: Building Legacy & Driving Impact!
What an incredibly productive day here in Sligo! The consortium dived deep into the core of our mission, transforming insights into a clear roadmap for the future. Today was all about action, impact, and sustainability.
Here’s a glimpse of our dynamic discussions:
✅ Taking Stock & Planning Ahead:
We conducted a thorough review of Stakeholder Engagement, quantifying our actions since Tallinn, analysing challenges, and refining our solutions. This sets a powerful foundation for our next steps and deliverables.
📢 Amplifying Our Voice (WP7):
Our Dissemination & Communication plans are stronger than ever! We mapped out:
Clustering Webinars to synergies with like-minded projects.
The PRO-Coast Legacy: Ensuring our tools (like REDS), methodologies, Citizen Science platforms, and the CUSP initiative continue to thrive.
A suite of new dissemination materials (newsletters, leaflets, videos) to tell our story.
Planning for an Exploitation Workshop to maximize the real-world application of our results.
🔍 Sharpening Our Focus:
We addressed valuable reviewer feedback head-on, using it to fortify our approach and anticipate future challenges in coastal sustainability.
📋 Ensuring Excellence (WP1):
We aligned on key administrative and project management priorities, including reporting, amendments, and plans for our next General Assembly, ensuring we finish strong.
The day concluded with a strategic wrap-up, solidifying our commitments and action points.
A huge thank you to all our partners for the unwavering dedication and collaborative spirit. The energy is palpable, and the path forward is clear!
Tomorrow, we shift from the meeting room to the field with an immersive visit to the Sligo Case Study—we can’t wait to see this inspiring work firsthand!
Stay connected for more updates from the field!
PRO-Coast

12/11/2025

More of the final part of the first day in Sligo...

11/11/2025

UN OCEAN DECADE, Launched in January 2021, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the ‘Ocean Decade’, provides a convening framework for a wide range of stakeholders across the world to engage and collaborate outside their traditional communities to trigger nothing less than a revolution in ocean science.

11/11/2025

The first day of the 5th PRO-Coast consortiim meeting has came to an end. The 10 case studies presented their outcome, theie challenges, their successes and their next steps.. the project is gping towards the right direction and according to the strategic planning.