Transdisciplinary Communication and Climate Information: Reflections from the Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources Programme

The Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) Strategic Priorities Fund is a £12.4m initiative dedicated to funding marine research to address critical gaps in understanding that UK policy makers have identified. The programme runs from August 2021 to December 2025. It aims to bring together marine scientists, policy makers, industry representatives, wider actors and the public to build a strong marine research community and, ultimately, bridge the gap between science and policy. In May 2024, two SMMR-funded projects, Diverse Marine Values (DMV) and Resilient Coasts: Optimising Co-benefit Solutions project (Co-Opt) ran a workshop at the SMMR annual conference to investigate and gather the lessons learnt from across the SMMR programme on communicating climate change information. The SMMR programme is aptly positioned to explore and address a myriad of challenges when communicating climate change information. SMMR members hail from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and work in inter- and transdisciplinary teams that communicate with a broad range of actors using innovative methods and approaches. They are adept at tailoring information for various audiences and for facilitating dialogue between multiple actors from within and beyond the marine research and management community.