Overview

There’s no place like home. Our research in this theme focuses on the South Coast of the UK, where the University of Sussex is based, and works towards preserving this beautiful part of the world. From equitable rewilding to responsible food systems and the restoration of waterways, our research strives for sustainable futures for the region. 

The projects in this theme primarily focus on the Sustainable Development Goals for: Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2), Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15), and especially their interactions.

International impact

Projects in the ‘South Coast Sustainability’ theme have been based across Sussex in the UK, India and Indonesia.

In the media

• Research led by Dr Beth Nichols that found that the average allotment is roughly as productive as a conventional farm – while using far less toxic chemicals – attracted the interest of several national newspapers including The Daily Mail, The Times, The Independent and The Guardian, as well as BBC Radio 2 and 4, BBC Radio Sussex and Times Radio. In the media reports, Dr Nichols said her findings showed that local allotments could help reduce the UK’s reliance on carbon-intensive foreign imports.

• ITV News, BBC News and The Independent covered the initial data results of our project documenting the recovery of the Sussex coastal ecosystem since a trawling ban in 2021. Lead researchers Dr Valentina Scarponi, Professor Mika Peck and PhD student Alice Clark made use of underwater camera technology to uncover 81 marine species in the Sussex waters, including endangered creatures like the European Eel and the Tope Shark. The press articles included footage of this underwater activity.

• The ‘Ripple Effect’ project, which uses citizen science to monitor levels of pollution and biodiversity in the Upper River Medway, was the subject of an in-depth broadcast feature on BBC South Today and BBC Breakfast, and an accompanying news article.

Related resources

• Dr Valentina Scarponi and PhD student Alice Clark discuss their research examining biodiversity off the Sussex coast in this blog interview.

• Dr Lucila Newell talks about the ‘Ripple Effect’ project in this blog interview.

• Dr Shova Thapa Karki introduces her SSRP-funded project which foregrounds the value of place-based knowledge in sustainable food production and consumption systems in Indonesia and Sussex respectively.

• In this policy brief, Dr Chris Sandom, Dr Adrian Ely, Dr Rachael Durrant and Dr Nicholas Balfour write about the ways in which a diverse use of land can deliver multiple benefits.

• This blog piece summarises research led by Dr Chris Sandom on sustainable and equitable transformations of South Coast landscapes.

• This blog piece reflects on a student field trip organised by SSRP to the Knepp estate, an internationally-renowned rewilding project in West Sussex.

• This video gives a virtual walkthrough of the ‘Visualising South Coast Sustainability’ exhibition we hosted on campus from March to April 2025.

The full list of projects in the ‘South Coast Sustainability’ theme can be found here.

To find out more about SSRP research across our five themes, come to the launch event of the SSRP report, ‘Positive Futures: People, Nature and the Planet’. The report, which will be available to ready very soon, is a comprehensive document of SSRP research over the last seven years.