Promoting coastal resilience through participation and Living Labs within the mareXtreme mission

Coastal regions are increasingly exposed to extreme marine events and natural hazards such as geo- and biological hazards, floods, storm surges, droughts, terrestrial and marine heatwaves. Climate change is expected to intensify both the frequency and severity of these events, amplifying risks for coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Their impacts typically unfold at local and regional scales, often triggering cascading and cumulative effects, and nonlinear processes, i.e., earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis in the Mediterranean, or marine heatwaves, algal blooms, and resulting hypoxia in the Baltic Sea and other marine basins. Addressing these dynamics requires comprehensive observation systems, improved hazard modelling across scales, and robust early warning systems, combined with close engagement and empowerment of responsible and affected actors. Strengthening coastal resilience ultimately depends on a deep understanding of system behaviour, potential tipping points, and collaborative approaches that integrate scientific, governmental, industrial, and community perspectives.

Against this backdrop, the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) mission mareXtreme – Pathways to Improved Risk Management of Marine Extreme Events and Natural Hazards brings together around 150 researchers from 29 partner institutions to advance the scientific and societal capacities needed to manage such risks. Through its four interconnected projects - ElbeXtreme, METAscales, MULTI‑MAREX, and PrimePrevention - the mission investigates how short-term, multiple, and compound extreme events interact with long-term changes in marine ecosystems and coastal societies. mareXtreme aims to significantly enhance the predictability of marine extreme events, support sustainable coastal development, and strengthen the resilience of both ecosystems and communities. Central to this mission is a transdisciplinary, participatory research approach that establishes Living Labs as collaborative spaces where scientists, local actors, and community multipliers jointly develop solutions tailored to specific regional risks and needs. This approach ensures that real-world, cross-sectoral knowledge informs effective risk management under changing climate conditions.

In light of these challenges and the mission’s ambition to advance both scientific and societal capacities for dealing with marine extreme events, the objective of this conceptual background paper is to establish a shared understanding of the basic principles that guide transdisciplinary research within mareXtreme. Coming from four different project contexts, backgrounds and objectives we identify differences and similarities in order to work for synergies and common concepts for participation and Living Labs in coastal hazardous situations. In mareXtreme it includes bringing together predominantly sustainability-oriented community development with technically oriented innovation initiatives, e.g., early warning systems, nature-based solutions, etc., to enhance coastal resilience. We jointly reflect on the framework conditions and requirements for participation and problem-focussed, solution-oriented research, and to examine the concept of Living Labs in the context of the mission’s work. What does participatory Living Lab work provide to the core goals of the mareXtreme mission, to the way research is conducted, and its potentials for dealing with hazards in coastal systems? Do we need a new, independent concept of real-world participation to continue pursuing our mission’s goals? 

To this end, the paper i) clarifies key terms and concepts related to participation and Living Labs to foster a shared understanding across projects and disciplines; ii) synthesizes insights into the application of participatory methods by identifying differences and commonalities across the four mareXtreme projects; iii) examines the scales and levels at which these projects engage with the Living Lab approach; and iv) critically discusses opportunities and challenges that arise when applying this research framework in the context of marine extremes and coastal resilience. Our common goal in mareXtreme is to work towards a blueprint for coastal Living Labs as research infrastructure to help address, manage and cope with marine hazards.