Planning—Coastal Decision-Making

Summary: How and why should different perspectives be considered when deciding how to use and protect coastal resources? In the NOAA lesson “I’ll Stay Here If It Kills Me,” students use role-playing to explore the human dimensions of coastal decision-making. In most of the role-playing exercises, each student assumes the role of a person, organism, or process affected by a particular issue and studies the impacts of this issue on human life and human activities from the perspective of that stakeholder. Students examine how obtaining public support (or “buy in”) influences outcomes, and they explore potential barriers to obtaining public support and action.

Concepts to teach:


  1. Coastal resources are used and impacted by a variety of stakeholders
  2. Stakeholders do not always agree on what constitutes the “best” use of these resources
  3. It is important to achieve maximum public support (“buy-in”) for actions to protect coastal resources and control the ways in which these resources are used.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations


Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify and discuss four components of “human dimensions” involved in coastal decision-making
  2. Describe a process to build public support for coast resource protection and will be able to explain why this support is important
  3. Describe at least three perspectives that exist among different groups of stakeholders regarding a specific coastal resource issue.

Activity Links and Resources:


  • Assessment questions are included in the “I’ll Stay Here If It Kills Me” lesson plan.