International Conference in Daliburgh, South Uist on 27-28 March.

The Sea as Our Neighbour: Adapting to Climate Change by Coastal Communities and Habitats on Europe’s Northern Periphery.

The Conference is open for anyone to attend. However, prior booking is essential and more information is available by phoning the Comhairle office in Balivanich on 01870 604 992

Conference Programme and Booking Form can be downloaded by clicking here.

The transnational CoastAdapt Conference is the culmination of three years of work by project partners and local people from coastal communities situated in southern Iceland, northern Norway, west of Ireland, and the Outer Hebrides. What people from these regions have in common is that they live and work coastal environments that are fragile yet energetic and always dynamic. Our coasts provide space and resources for the competing uses and values of industry, habitation, and recreation. Coastlines are under constant change and the influence of human intervention can have unintended consequences. Sea level is rising due to melting glaciers and ice caps as well as the expansion effect of warming seas. Storms can cause rapid erosion of soft coasts over short periods of time and heavy wave action can cause undercutting of dune systems.

A public meeting was held on 23 November 2011 in Iochdar, South Uist where the results and findings of the South Ford Study were presented to members of the local community. The presentation can be found by clicking here.

The Study, which was instigated after the devastating storm of 11 January 2005 and was financed by the Scottish Government, is intended to improve knowledge and understanding of coastal change in the tidal channel which separates the islands of Benbecula and South Uist which are situated in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

The area was hit particularly severely by the January 2005 storm; the most extreme in living memory, and communities living on the edge of the South Ford basin suffered flooding from the sea which caused significant damage to property and infrastructure. 5 people lost their lives while trying to escape the effects of the storm.