Coastal management
Queensland’s coast is a significant natural resource and provides valuable ecosystem services that support the state’s economic and social development. However, the high demand for use of coastal land by the community can result in coastal environments becoming degraded or used for purposes contrary to the objectives of the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 (Coastal Act).
Coastal environments constantly adapt to change as a result of dynamic natural processes, such as tides, waves, floods, storms and cyclones, and changes in sea level. Climate change impacts, such as increasing sea levels, increasing intensity of storms and cyclones, and changed rainfall patterns will compound and extend the vulnerability of Queensland’s low-lying coastal areas to coastal hazards. Degraded environments can accelerate this rate of change and increase instability in coastal environments.
The Coastal Act recognises the diverse range of coastal resources and values in the coastal zone and provides a comprehensive framework for their coordinated management. The Queensland Coastal Plan (PDF, 6.6M)* (coastal plan) is the primary statutory instrument under the Coastal Act. The coastal plan is made up of two parts—the State Policy for Coastal Management (PDF, 734K)* and the State Planning Policy 3/11: Coastal Protection (PDF, 6.1M)*.
The State Policy for Coastal Management (PDF, 734K)* provides policy direction and guidance for maintaining, rehabilitating and protecting coastal land, and managing activities undertaken on it with particular emphasis on managing public coastal land.
The coastal plan (PDF, 734K)* operates with other instruments to deliver the objects of the Coastal Act to:
- provide for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and management of the coastal zone, 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
- ensure decisions about land use and development safeguard life and property from the threat of coastal hazards
- 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 has a regulatory role in development assessment in parts of the coastal zone declared as coastal management districts. The coastal management district predominantly incorporates erosion prone areas outside built up urban areas. The Queensland Coastal Plan commenced on 3 February 2012 and replaces the State Coastal Management Plan (2001) and regional coastal management plans.
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Last updated 2 February 2012