International symposium on coastal zones and climate change: assessing the impact and developing adaptation strategies

The coastal zone is expected to be home to nearly 75% of the World population by 2025. There is an increasing concern that current management practices in coastal zones are unsustainable. Coastal zones are facing severe socio-economic and environmental problems. Growing human populations, rapid urbanization and industrial developments in coastal areas are likely to aggravate the situation, especially in low-lying cities, which are also affected by sea water intrusion. Potentially, sea level rise will exacerbate these problems and very few countries have planned appropriately to deal with them.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that global mean sea level may rise as much as 88 cm by the end of the 21st century. It is therefore necessary to assess the socio-economic and environmental impacts of climate change to better understand the vulnerability of coastal zones.

This two-day international symposium, sponsored by Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), will provide a forum for decision makers, practising professionals, academics, researches and students to share their knowledge and expertise in diverse areas. The symposium will focus on the following:
-the assessment of impacts of climate change in coastal zones,
-existing and new adaptation strategies and policies, and
-the engagement of relevant stakeholders in planning for the consequences of climate change impacts in coastal areas.

The main themes of the symposium will be:

-Monitoring and modelling
-Assessing vulnerability and impacts in catchments and coastal zones
-Adaptation strategies and policies
-Stakeholders and community engagement