For thousands of years people have chosen to live on the coastline to enjoy the well being of its environment and harvest from the sea. Modern life has altered out basic needs for food and shelter but the attractions of the coast are still vitally important for tourists and visitors who spend £26 million nights in our region each year and contribute significantly to the richness of its culture.

This conference aimed to create greater awareness among those with an interest in our coastline. The many challenges in sustaining and supporting coastal communities against the backdrop of a fast changing world were key to discussions throughout the 2 days.

A wide range of organisations attended the conference, covering academia, the environment, health and community.

A presentation from Paul Brown of the SW Public Health Observatory on the South West Sustainability Challenge can be downloaded from here.

The Our Coast & Public Health website can be viewed here

Key note address

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A little bit about Jonathan Porritt...

Jonathan Porritt is Founder Director of Forum for the Future and Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission.

Established in 1996, Forum for the Future is now the UK's leading sustainable development charity, with 70 staff and over 100 partner organisations, including some of the world's leading companies.

Jonathan was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Comission in July 2000. This is the Government's principal source of independent advice across the whole sustainable development agenda.

In addition he has been a member on the board of the South West Regional Development Agency since 1999, and is co-director of The Prince of Wales' Business and Environment Programme.

Jonathan is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on sustainable development.

Find out more about Forum for the Future or the Sustainable Development Commission

Tourism - Saint or Sinner

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Warning - this is a very large file. Downloading, particularly if you are not on broadband, will be quicker if you save it to your own computer. To do this follow the instructions below:

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2. Save in your preferred file on your computer
3. To listen - open the saved file from your computer

A little bit about Malcolm Bell...

Malcolm Bell became Chief Executive of South West Tourism in April 1999. He is a member of the Tourism Management Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce and a Fellow of the Academy of Food and Wine Service. In 2001 he was presented with the British Hospitality Associations' national award for outstanding leadership during the Foot & Mouth crisis.

Find out more about South West Tourism