'Nature-based' solutions favoured in response to sea level rise

A community forum on tackling the effects of sea-level rise has favoured nature-based solutions such as dune restoration and sand-recycling, with built structures such as rock walls deemed a 'last resort'.

More than 60 people attended a Council-run workshop to discuss the threat of sea level rise on Noosa’s coastline and to gather residents’ feedback on a range of potential responses.

“There was strong support for “nature-based” measures such as beach nourishment and dune revegetation to bolster coastal areas against erosion,” Council’s Climate Change Project Coordinator Grant Hinner said.

“The feedback is largely consistent with that from our earlier consultation, with the community placing significant value on the natural state of Noosa Shire’s coastal areas.”

Feedback will inform development of Noosa’s Coastal Hazards Adaption Plan (CHAP), which Council hopes to release in draft form for community feedback in a few months.

The CHAP is part of a larger Climate Change Adaption Plan (CCAP), which will set out how Council manages climate-related risks into the future.

Based on scientific data, the workshop considered sections of the coastline most at risk, and possible solutions to help mitigate those risks.

“Options for managing risks associated with sea-level rise are varied. For instance, we can take relatively simple steps to accommodate some impacts, such as flooding in low-lying areas, by raising floor heights for new construction,” Mr Hinner said.

“Though some risks are often seen as easier to accept, such as more frequent nuisance tidal flooding, others are expected to be more challenging and may require more complex solutions to mitigate,” Mr Hinner said.

Feedback also showed some residents wanted better management of vehicle and pedestrian access to coastal areas in order to reduce erosion.

“There was also some concern over the ability of Noosa’s stormwater infrastructure to cope in future. This is something Council has already begun to investigate in further detail and is a feature of the Stormwater Infrastructure Asset Management Plan being adopted in the February round of meetings.”

The interactive workshop followed earlier consultation to determine which natural and built coastal assets the community most values.

For more information about Council’s climate change adaptation planning, including a look at the latest hazard maps, visit Council's YourSay Noosa website.

18 February 2019