The International Mother Earth Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, recognises the Earth and its ecosystems as humanity’s common home and the need to protect Earth to enhance people’s livelihoods, avoid the collapse of biodiversity, and counteract climate change. In the current context of climate change, the development of tools which allow us to anticipate future climate conditions is key to be able to draw proper adaptation measures. Essential tools in this respect are climate services, which offer relevant, scientific-based climate information. To ensure that climate services are tailored-made to the needs and expectations of end users, the adoption of a holistic approach for their development, combining quantitative and qualitative research, is needed. This is the case of the ECOAZUL-MED climate service tool, intended to contribute to the adaptation and strategic management of key sectors of the blue economy (aquaculture, fisheries and coastal tourism) in the Spanish Mediterranean coasts in the coming decades.
In our recent publication in the journal Frontiers of Climate, ‘Co-creation of a scalable, climate service tool for the sustainable management of key blue economy sectors in the Spanish Mediterranean coast’, led by our colleagues PhD. Alba de la Vara, PhD. Maite Ferrando and PhD. Mireia Ferri, and with the collaboration of William Cabos (Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China, and University of Alcala, Alcalá de Henares, Spain), we explain the hybrid approach used to develop the ECOAZUL-MED tool. Particularly, the qualitative methodology required a strong participatory approach, involving stakeholders throughout the project’s duration in activities such as focus groups, questionnaires and workshops, to ensure a tailor-made, and co-created tool adapted to final users. The qualitative methodology was essential for the creation of the ECOAZUL-MED tool, particularly to integrate the social, economic and contextual characteristics.
Our work highlights the relevance of using bottom-up, participatory approaches which combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate tailored, usable climate service tools which are adapted to the local context and needs. Through the project’s duration, stakeholders participated in different activities, providing valuable information to help build up the climate service tool. Co-creation processes entail (a) additional effort, involving stakeholder mapping and engagement, planification of activities, analysis of results of participatory activities, implementation of changes etc. and (b) require flexibility in the working process, which typically involves refining work iteratively taking into account stakeholders’ feedback. However, the benefits of adopting co-creation approaches in the development of the ECOAZUL-MED climate tool are many.
For instance, stakeholder feedback was useful to design the tool (climate information to be included and its final interface), as well as for the generation of supporting documents offered in the ECOAZUL-MED website and allow us to promote awareness and literacy regarding climate change in the region. Insights that emerge from this work allow us to propose that our methodology can be applied to other areas where the blue economy is relevant, including not only the Mediterranean region. Therefore, the methodology presented here can be transferred and/or scaled up to other regions to develop other climate service tools adapted to the respective local contexts.
