The Mission of the Coastal Institute is to Advance Knowledge and Develop Solutions to Environmental Problems in Coastal Ecosystems.
Vision: The Coastal Institute will increase our understanding of the relationships between human activity and the condition of the coastal environment and its resources. The Coastal Institute will work in partnership with local, state, federal, and international agencies to use this understanding to contribute to the solution of the complex problems of human use and development in coastal environments. The Coastal Institute is a neutral setting where knowledge is advanced, issues discussed, information synthesized, and solutions developed for the sustainable use and management of coastal ecosystems. The Coastal Institute works across and beyond traditional structures to encourage new approaches to problem solving.
Scope of Activities: The geographic scope of the Coastal Institute is broadly defined to include continental shelves, inland or partially enclosed seas, estuaries, bays, lagoons, beaches, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems within watersheds that drain into coastal waters. The conceptual scope of the Coastal Institute includes the environmental, economic, ethical, and cultural dimensions of coastal environments and their governance.