Coastal management
The coastal zone is a large and diverse area comprising a rich array of social, economic and environmental resources. The challenge for coastal management in Queensland is to identify the trends impacting on coastal resources, balance the multiple and competing demands and respond with strategies to achieve sustainable management of the coast.
The Queensland coastal zone extends more than 9500 km and is home to over 87% of the State's population. The Queensland coastal zone also provides a cultural heritage shaped by Indigenous people and historic events; and it contains resources that are a natural inheritance of immense economic, cultural and intrinsic value. Tourists flock to coastal communities in Queensland to enjoy the long sandy beaches and shimmering waters on coastlines which are ranked as some of the best in the world. Queensland's coast includes parts of the Wet Tropics, the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island—three outstanding World Heritage areas, and is home to abundant native wildlife, tropical rainforests, extensive coastal wetlands and the world’s largest sand island and coral reef system.
However, like many natural resources, the coastal zone is subject to increasing pressure from rapid urbanisation and economic development. Such pressures present significant challenges for coastal planning and management.
Recognising the need to protect these fragile environments, the Queensland Government has developed a coastal management framework which includes specific legislation, policies and support tools to direct sustainable planning, development and management decisions.
- The Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 (Coastal Act) recognises the diverse range of coastal resources and values in the coastal zone and provides a comprehensive framework for their coordinated management. Fundamental tools to implement the Coastal Act are the State Coastal Management Plan and regional coastal management plans.
- The State Coastal Management Plan – Queensland's Coastal Policy provides ways to protect and manage Queensland's coastal resources.
- Four regional coastal management plans, supported by the State’s Coastal Protection Advisory Council and regional consultative groups were released in 2003 and 2006.
The State and Regional Coastal Management Plans operate with other instruments to deliver the objects of the Coastal Act to:
- provide for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and management of the coast, including its resources and biological diversity
- have regard to the goal, core objectives and guiding principles of the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development in the use of the coastal zone
- provide, in conjunction with other legislation, a coordinated and integrated management and administrative framework for the ecologically sustainable development of the coastal zone
- encourage the enhancement of knowledge of coastal resources and the effect of human activities on the coastal zone.
The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has a regulatory role in development assessment in parts of the coastal zone declared as coastal management districts. These areas have traditionally been identified in regional coastal management plans. In areas where a regional coastal management plan has not yet been prepared, the erosion prone areas and coastal management control districts previously designated under the now repealed Beach Protection Act 1968 are taken to be the transitional or interim coastal management district. A detailed explanation of erosion prone area assessment is provided on the website.
A review of the State Coastal Management Plan has been completed. Results of the review indicated a need for improved coastal planning in Queensland. The Department of Environment and Resource Management have prepared a draft of the new Queensland Coastal Plan to address issues raised during the review.
Last updated: 22 May 2009