Marine, coasts and estuaries

Australia’s coastal zone is increasingly under pressure with some 85% of Australia’s population now living near the coast and the demand to live there is increasing. The coast also supports important activities and features such as: tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, coastal wetlands and estuaries, mangroves and other coastal vegetation, coral reefs, heritage areas and threatened species or habitats. The likely impacts of climate change will increase the challenge of sustainable management of the coastal zone and it is likely that the current coastal development patterns are increasing vulnerability to climate change.

The role of the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) in coastal vulnerability activities includes the delivery of NCCAP and taking a lead in key climate change actions in the ICZM framework. The work will be progressed in consultation with the States and Territories under the auspices of the Climate Change in Agriculture and NRM (CLAN) and the Intergovernmental Coastal Advisory Group (ICAG). An important and key responsibility is facilitating the development of a national approach for assessing, mapping and communicating coastal vulnerability to climate change. As a major first step in this process, the AGO held an Expert Technical Workshop in December 2005 which was attended by some 45 technical coastal experts and practitioners from around Australia. This report forms a record of the outcomes of the workshop. The workshop was designed to identify key issues, share information, seek clarification and develop recommendations on the knowledge and methodologies required to assess, map and communicate Australia’s coastal vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Following a series of scene-setting presentations, participants engaged in a mixture of group and plenary discussions. Major themes for the breakout sessions were: climate and oceanographic drivers, biophysical models, information systems, applications and user needs, and socio-economic integration – models, data and stakeholders.