The SCCG team attended the 29th NSW Coastal Conference (31 May – 2 June) at Kingscliff NSW with this year’s theme being “Living with Uncertainty”.
The conference opened with two keynote speakers, Dr Pierre Wiart, Head of Climate and Risk Management from CoreLogic International and Dr Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor and Director of Higher Degree Research at the University of Queensland.
Dr Wiart presented on the coastal risk impact on the Australian property market and specifically the CoreLogic Methodology that was used to undertake this study.
Dr Bell presented on coastal wetland restoration law, including Blue Carbon restoration policy and barriers to wetland restoration. The notion of a “rolling covenant” concept was discussed as a potential solution to managing coastal wetland use with private landholders, where landholders could have a temporary right to use coastal wetlands until a defining trigger would stop the land use. This could set anticipation for landholders in an uncertain climate and if the established trigger, e.g. sea level rise, did not occur than landholders could continue to use their land without limitations.
There were short presentations throughout the conference on the themes of:
- Holistic Coastal Management
- Knowledge, Science & Uncertainty
- Empowering People
- Lessons from the Field
- Policy, Decision Making & Funding
SCCG Executive Officer, Sarah Joyce, gave a presentation on “Cooperation is the key to manage Greater Sydney Harbour”.
The conference finished with presentations from two keynote speakers, Dr Will Glamore, Associate Research Professor, Water Research Laboratory and Sabyah White, environmental activist.
Dr Glamore gave an important reminder to the conference attendees that now is the time to act on reducing global emissions. He reminded attendees that we are in the UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration and emphasised that Blue Carbon was the way to move forward quickly on reducing emissions, as multinational companies become eager to invest in these carbon sequestration schemes. He also suggested that CMPs should have a longer-term focus than 10 years and that governments should be investing in 30-50 year plans.
Ms White who is a 14 year old environmental activist, was a subject in the environmental documentary called Girls for Future which went around the world and places like COP 26. Ms White gave an inspirational speech about the anxiety her and other children feel about inaction and slow action on climate change within Australia. She spoke about the need for more positive actions that give her generation hope for the future.
Prof Bruce Thom closed the conference with an announcement that Newcastle City Council would co-host the 30th NSW Coastal Conference and 16th National Coast to Coast conference in November 2023.
DPI Survey on Shark Mitigation at Ocean Beaches
/in Uncategorised /by belindaHave your say about shark mitigation in your region!
The NSW Government has invested over $85 million until 2026 to continue rolling out successfully trialled shark mitigation technologies along the NSW coastline.
Each year, the NSW Government checks in with beach users, coastal councils and other key stakeholders to understand community sentiment and confidence in the NSW Shark Management Program.
This annual survey seeks to measure sentiments about shark mitigation approaches currently used in NSW (see current program here) and confidence in the Program which aims to reduce the risk of human-shark interactions at ocean beaches while minimising harm to sharks and other marine life.
The current Program includes:
Please take 10 minutes to share your views to contribute to future decision making about shark mitigation in your region.
The survey can be found here and is open until Sunday, 19 February 2023.
Please pass this survey on to other beachgoers!
For more information visit www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au.
Sydney Water’s 2022 Community Grants for Healthy Waterways
/in Uncategorised /by belindaSydney Water has recently launched its 2022 community grants program – with a focus on healthy waterways, including keeping our waterways clean, stormwater in a built environment and safely enjoying our local waterways.
If you know a community group that share’s Sydney Water’s vision of building healthy waterways to create a better life for today and generations to come, then refer them here for guidelines, T&Cs and a link to the application form.
Applications close 5pm, 26 August 2022.
Coastal Design Guidelines on Public Exhibition
/in Uncategorised /by belindaNSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) is making changes to the to the Coastal Design Guidelines to maintain healthy coastal habitats with sustainable use and development. The review is an action under the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy 2018-2028.
The revised Coastal Design Guidelines prepared by DPE-Planning have been placed on public exhibition.
The Guidelines will inform planning proposals in the coastal zone and they should be used by anyone seeking to change local planning controls in those areas. This includes local councils, landowners and developers, and any third parties acting on their behalf.
The updated draft Guidelines also provide guidance on best practice urban design within coastal areas. They can be used by designers, architects, landscapers and home builders to support the design of projects in the coastal zone when preparing master plans or development applications.
The exhibition period is from 29 July to 9 September 2022.
For details and to provide feedback see here.
Guideline on Integrating Catchment Issues into CMPs
/in Uncategorised /by belindaNSW Department of Planning and Environment has released the Coastal Management Programs and Integration with Catchment Management document, which can also be found in the Coastal Management Toolkit.
The document provides advice to councils and consultants that are preparing and implementing Coastal Management Programs that may need to consider broader catchment management objectives and actions, which reside outside the coastal zone.
Video: Sydney Water Boat Tour and Urban Plunge Program
/in Uncategorised /by belindaThe SCCG attended a Sydney Water Boat tour on the 30 June which showcased the role of Sydney Water in contributing to a healthy and swimmable harbour and to demonstrate the work of their waterway monitoring team.
To find out more about the day and Sydney Water’s Urban Plunge Program, watch this short video by the Sydney Water Media Team here.
State of the Environment Report 2021
/in Uncategorised /by belindaOn Tuesday 19 July, Minister Plibersek released the State of the Environment (SoE) report with a chapter dedicated each to Coasts and the Marine environment.
The four main findings from the Coasts Chapter include:
The four main findings from the Marine Chapter include:
The SoE report also recognised that it is essential for environmental outcomes that Indigenous people are involved in the management of land and sea country.
Excellence in the Environment Awards 2022
/in Uncategorised /by belindaEntries for the Excellence in the Environment Awards 2022 are now open.
These awards aim to recognise outstanding achievements by NSW councils in managing and protecting the environment. There are 14 award categories which are open to any Councils who are members of LGNSW.
For more information about the awards and to enter online, click here.
Entries close at 5pm Wednesday 27 July 2022
2022-23 NSW State Budget Highlights
/in Media Announcement /by belindaNew funding for environment and heritage in Budget 2022-23 include:
(These figures were reported by the Australian Financial News to access the direct news source and to read more, click here.)
Other important budget highlights include:
(These figures were reported by the Australian Financial News to access the direct news source and to read more, click here.)
SeaBedNSW Mapping
/in Uncategorised /by belindaThe NSW Department of Planning and Environment has released SeaBedNSW mapping. A free online platform for stakeholders and communities to explore the seabed adjacent to our beaches. The online maps cover the entire state coastline including sea floor depths of up to 35m. They provide detail on sea floor habitat and the data is intended to inform coastal and marine management.
Read more
The 29th NSW Coastal Conference
/in Uncategorised /by belindaThe SCCG team attended the 29th NSW Coastal Conference (31 May – 2 June) at Kingscliff NSW with this year’s theme being “Living with Uncertainty”.
The conference opened with two keynote speakers, Dr Pierre Wiart, Head of Climate and Risk Management from CoreLogic International and Dr Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor and Director of Higher Degree Research at the University of Queensland.
Dr Wiart presented on the coastal risk impact on the Australian property market and specifically the CoreLogic Methodology that was used to undertake this study.
Dr Bell presented on coastal wetland restoration law, including Blue Carbon restoration policy and barriers to wetland restoration. The notion of a “rolling covenant” concept was discussed as a potential solution to managing coastal wetland use with private landholders, where landholders could have a temporary right to use coastal wetlands until a defining trigger would stop the land use. This could set anticipation for landholders in an uncertain climate and if the established trigger, e.g. sea level rise, did not occur than landholders could continue to use their land without limitations.
There were short presentations throughout the conference on the themes of:
SCCG Executive Officer, Sarah Joyce, gave a presentation on “Cooperation is the key to manage Greater Sydney Harbour”.
The conference finished with presentations from two keynote speakers, Dr Will Glamore, Associate Research Professor, Water Research Laboratory and Sabyah White, environmental activist.
Dr Glamore gave an important reminder to the conference attendees that now is the time to act on reducing global emissions. He reminded attendees that we are in the UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration and emphasised that Blue Carbon was the way to move forward quickly on reducing emissions, as multinational companies become eager to invest in these carbon sequestration schemes. He also suggested that CMPs should have a longer-term focus than 10 years and that governments should be investing in 30-50 year plans.
Ms White who is a 14 year old environmental activist, was a subject in the environmental documentary called Girls for Future which went around the world and places like COP 26. Ms White gave an inspirational speech about the anxiety her and other children feel about inaction and slow action on climate change within Australia. She spoke about the need for more positive actions that give her generation hope for the future.
Prof Bruce Thom closed the conference with an announcement that Newcastle City Council would co-host the 30th NSW Coastal Conference and 16th National Coast to Coast conference in November 2023.