Elina Apine

Dr. Elina Apine is a Research Associate at the University of St Andrews, School of Geography and Sustainable Development. She is part of the SMMR-funded project 'Resilient Coasts: Optimising Co-Benefit Solutions,' focusing on transitioning coastal defenses from hard infrastructure to nature-based solutions. Her research integrates marine social science, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary approaches to address coastal adaptation, food security in small-scale fisheries, and Indigenous knowledge integration.

Research Interests

Dr. Apine’s work spans three core areas: 1) small-scale fisheries and aquaculture’s role in rural livelihoods; 2) coastal resilience strategies using nature-based solutions; and 3) co-production methods to align scientific and local knowledge systems. Her current projects explore social acceptability and perceptions of green infrastructure in UK coastal management.

Grants & Projects

• SMMR-funded 'Resilient Coasts' project (2023–present)
• Investigations into mud crab aquaculture sustainability in South India (2018–2022)

Professional Activities

• Co-organiser of the Airth Community Resilience Event (2025)
• Speaker at the Coast-R Webinar series (2025)
• Member of the Royal Geographical Society (2024–present)

Labs & Collaborations

She collaborates with the Environmental Change Research Group and Geographies of Sustainability teams at St Andrews, focusing on interdisciplinary coastal resilience frameworks.