Southeast Queensland Coast
Mangroves, Brisbane. Photo DERM.
Where is the south-east Queensland coastal zone?
The coastal zone for the South-east Queensland region extends from the northern boundary of Maroochy Shire, along the landward edge of the coastal catchments for the Maroochy, Mooloolah, Brisbane, Logan and Albert rivers, to the Queensland-New South Wales border in the south. It also includes Queensland waters and all coastal islands. Twenty-one local government areas are either fully or partly included in this coastal zone.
What's special about the south-east Queensland coast?
The region contains a diverse range of coastal resources and values including coastal wetlands, beaches, waterways and Moreton Bay, which supports significant shorebird, dugong and turtle habitats. The region also supports significant social and economic resources and values such as cultural heritage, extractive resources, industry and major infrastructure including the Port of Brisbane and the Brisbane Airport.
Redland Bay. Photo DERM.
The region accommodates around 65 percent of Queensland's population and is Australia's fastest growing metropolitan region. This population growth has lead to extensive development with resultant losses of large areas of natural vegetation and a wide range of habitats. Many of the region's remaining natural areas have been degraded as human use pressures have intensified.
What's in the regional coastal management plan?
The South-east Queensland Coastal Plan (SEQ Coastal Plan) provides regional direction for 15 State Coastal Plan policies. It contains two additional policies addressing non-tidal artificial waterways and the management of land practices that can contribute to algal blooms. It complements the South East Queensland Regional Plan and seeks that growth in the coastal areas of this region occurs in a sustainable manner.
The key components of the SEQ Coastal Plan are:
- Coastal Policies, which provide regional guidance on the implementation of the State Coastal Plan in the south-east Queensland region;
- Statutory Maps, which identify particular coastal resources or areas of state significance in the south-east Queensland region to aid implementing the coastal policies;
- Coastal Management Districts, which are regulatory areas defining the parts of the coast where the State government, through the department, becomes involved in assessing certain types of development;
- Coastal Building Lines, which are located within coastal management districts to identify the minimum building setback distance from the foreshore for areas subject to erosion; and
- Supporting Document and informational maps, which provides regional background information on a range of matters relevant to the south-east Queensland coast including values, resources, issues and current research and work programs. It also describes the criteria used for identifying the key coastal site, coastal management district and coastal building lines.
Key coastal management outcomes of the SEQ Coastal Plan include:
- identifying areas of social and economic significance;
- planning for maritime infrastructure in strategic locations;
- protecting water quality;
- identifying areas subject to erosion and strategies to manage those areas;
- supporting further research into algal blooms;
- protecting internationally recognised biodiversity hot spots such as Ramsar wetlands which provide important fish nursery areas and shorebird habitat;
- retaining undeveloped tidal waterways in their natural or undeveloped state; and
- protecting other coastal biodiversity values including wetlands, dune systems and marine habitats such as seagrass beds.
Copies of the Plan, Supporting Document and Coastal Management District maps can be viewed by using this SEQ Coastal Plan link.
The Plan and Supporting Document are also available on CD, which includes detailed Coastal Management District maps, or hardcopy. Requests for the Plan can be directed to the department's toll free phone number 1800 677 831, or emailed to seqcoast.plan@epa.qld.gov.au.
Last updated: 28 August 2006