The Coast Protection Board acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

• A Note from the Presiding Member
• Monitoring Our Coast - The ‘Rods Program’
• SA Climate Ready Coasts Program Update
• Open Now! 2023-24 Grant Programs
• Yorke Peninsula’s Strategic Coastal Risk Study
• Planning & Development Update
• ‘Help the Hoodies’ Workshops
• Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network Conference
• Adelaide Beach Management Review Engagement

Fishery Beach, Cape Jervis. Image Credit: Coast Protection Board

Seagrass loss in the offshore environment deepens the seabed and this, in turn, increases nearshore wave energy, accelerating coastal sand movement and the potential for erosion, particularly in association with storm events. Loss of offshore sand also diminishes the supply of sand within the system and has consequences in relation to beach management.

In 1987, a long-term monitoring program was introduced off the metropolitan Adelaide coastline: brass rods were installed and surveyed annually to identify changes in the level of the seabed. Measurements of seagrass species composition and condition, seagrass area, erosion scarps and physical and biological data relating to the seafloor are also recorded and analysed at each rod site. Photographs are also taken and added to the extensive photographic library that the Department for Environment and Water maintains. The Rods Program complements the beach profile survey program featured in the Winter 2023 eNews.

The Department’s seagrass and seabed monitoring program revealed that deepening of the seabed continues for a number of years after seagrass has been lost.  Furthermore, this deepening may progress until either a hard clay or calcrete layer is exposed or the seabed depth reaches the limit of the wave action.  In more recent times, seagrass regeneration has been recorded at various locations along the Adelaide metropolitan coast. These sites are re-visited regularly as part of the yearly survey program and regeneration is being closely monitored.

Rods Survey Monitoring by DEW Staff. Image Credit: DEW

Coast Protection Grants provide funding to coastal councils to better manage and protect South Australia’s valuable coastal assets and address climate change risks.  High priorities for this program include work or studies addressing erosion or flood risk, including foreshore protection, coastal adaptation planning and beach replenishment. A total of $1 million is available to coastal councils in 2023-24, and councils must contribute a minimum of 20% of the total project cost (cash or in kind).

Community Participation Grants support not-for-profit organisations and volunteer groups to partner with councils and undertake small-scale coastal management projects or education initiatives.  A total of $30,000 is available in 2023-24, with a maximum grant value of $10,000 and an applicant contribution of at least 20% of the total project cost (cash or in kind).

For more information, including grant guidelines, please visit the Coast Protection Board Grants or email DEWCoasts@sa.gov.au to discuss your ideas and request an application form. 

The tool considers criteria such as urgency, impact, cost and criticality when assessing risks to coastal assets, while also considering population size, property, infrastructure, social and safety aspects to support planning and help prioritise immediate actions for management of the coast.

With 485km of coastline, a 3,900km road network, 12 jetties and 32 coastal towns to consider, this risk analysis tool has streamlined Council’s approach to managing risk with limited resources. The project was awarded the ‘Risk Management Major Award’ at the 2021/22 LGA Scheme Awards which you can read about here.

Sand loss at Black Point, Yorke Peninsula. Image Credit: DEW

The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA) is leading this program in partnership with coastal councils, the Adelaide Coastal Councils Network, the SA Coastal Council Alliance, and the South Australian Government through the Department for Environment and Water.  The Coast Protection Board is also a program partner, providing funding for the program and participating in the program’s governance.

Over the next few months, councils and State Government agencies with a connection to the coast will be invited to participate in workshops and consultations to help shape the development of the first Coastal Adaptation Planning Standards for SA. These Standards will define the principles and approaches to coastal adaptation planning and will be jointly endorsed by local and state government.

We will also be contacting custodians of coastal data as part of a coastal data stocktake project, and speaking with those with an interest in coast and marine monitoring as part of a project that is procuring a number of wave observation buoys to strengthen the State’s coastal monitoring infrastructure network.

To learn more about the program, visit the Program’s website or contact the Project Team on climatereadycoasts@lga.sa.gov.au.

The SA Climate Ready Coasts Program is funded through the Australian Government’s Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program, with additional funding provided by the SA Coast Protection Board and the Local Government Research and Development Scheme.

SA Climate Ready Coasts Project Team with successful Foundations Project consultants HATCH and URPS. Image Credit: Local Government Association of South Australia

In accord with the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016, planning authorities must refer certain development applications on coastal land to the Coast Protection Board.

Most responses are issued under delegation by DEW staff. DEW provides a report on development application responses to the Board so they can monitor how the Board's policies have been applied and the delegations exercised.

The Board considers and adjudicates on responses to proposals that are significant, controversial and/or where the applicability of Board policy is uncertain.

Last Financial Year (1 Jul 2022 – 30 Jun 2023)
Responses to Development Applications: 144
- No Objection: 135 (94%)
- Refusals: 9 (6%) (five at variance with coastal hazard risk policy; four at variance with coastal biodiversity & orderly development policies)

Year to Date (1 Jul 2023 – 30 Sept 2023)
Responses to Development Applications: 34
- No Objection: 34 (100%)
- Refusals: 0 (0%) 

Geotextile sandbag protection at Tumby Bay Foreshore, Eyre Peninsula. Image Credit: DEW

As part of the 'Nature Festival' Landscapes Hills & Fleurieu are running 2 free 'Help the Hoodies' children's workshops in Victor Harbor and Goolwa during the October school holidays.

The workshops are for kids aged 4-12 years old and provide information about hooded plovers and other beach nesting birds who call the beaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula their home. The 2nd of the 2 workshops is running on Monday 9th, see the link below:

Help the Hoodies: Goolwa Workshop

Further workshops on all sorts of topics are also available, see the entire program which runs from 1 - 15 October 2023 at naturefestival.org.au.

Hooded Plover Chicks. Image Credit: DEW

The AMSN was established to address management issues that face tidal wetland habitats across the world. The AMSN annual conference is being held at the University of Adelaide from Tuesday 14th to Friday 17th November 2023 and will bring together researchers, coastal managers, industry representatives and members of community groups who work across mangrove and saltmarsh landscapes.

The conference theme is ‘Living Coasts’ and will bring together Australian and international colleagues to share knowledge, ideas and experiences from managing and studying intertidal wetland systems for the benefit of helping these important coastal landscapes to thrive into the future.

For more information or to register your attendance visit the website here: AMSN 2023

Coastal Oblique Photo of Mangroves Image Credit: Coast Protection Board

The 12-month independent review commenced in early 2023, following the establishment of an Independent Advisory Panel and appointment of community engagement specialists URPS and coastal engineering specialists Bluecoast Consulting Engineers. While the Coast Protection Board isn't involved with the independent review, we look forward to seeing the results of the process.

The second round of community engagement to review the short listed beach management options is open until Sunday 15 October at 5:00pm. You can submit your feedback by using the state government’s YourSAy portal at: www.yourSAy.sa.gov.au/abmr-shortlist

If you have any feedback, questions or topics you'd like more information on please let us know via email at DEWCoasts@sa.gov.au.

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This newsletter was produced on Kaurna Land