The relevance of environmental conflict research for coastal management. A review of concepts, approaches and methods with a focus on Europe

Analysis and resolution of coastal resource use conflicts have largely been neglected in coastal research, environmental policies and resource management strategies such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). We review theoretical approaches and empirical studies from European countries about environmental and natural resource use conflicts with the aim to clarify the requirements for developing interdisciplinary coastal conflict research as a component of sustainable coastal management. Issues of terminology, conceptual and methodological differences and requirements for analysing and solving resource use and management conflicts are addressed. Thereafter, possibilities of consolidation of the research field and the perspectives of future coastal conflict research are discussed – along with comparative studies of conflicts, conflict management, and integration of the knowledge of resource users. We conclude that the reviewed conflict concepts, typologies and approaches can be integrated and thus help to improve context-specific analysis of multi-scale coastal conflicts. Such conflicts are part of sustainable resource management that needs to deal with consequences of global environmental change, especially the rise in sea levels in coastal areas.

► We review theoretical and empirical research on environmental conflicts in Europe.
► Development and future of interdisciplinary coastal conflict research is discussed.
► Conflict concepts, approaches and typologies reviewed can be combined.
► Interdisciplinary knowledge synthesis is required in coastal conflict analysis.
► Conflict analysis can improve sustainable coastal management strategies.