Australia’s coastline is precious for its natural beauty, the amenity it provides and for the industries it supports, including aquaculture and tourism. It is also vast, and for small Councils that oversee remote parts of the coast, it can be a costly and frustrating exercise in planning for sustainable development.
Three Councils in South Australia have formed an alliance and have been successful in achieving National Heritage funding. This will enable them to undertake a study leading to a comprehensive management strategy for 1,000 kilometres along one of Australia’s most distinctive coastlines, the Great Australian Bight.
The Councils of Streaky Bay, Elliston and Ceduna want to approach coastline management with full information. This will ensure the range of anticipated uses can be dealt with in a way that best manages this precious resource.
West Coast Strategy 1000 aims to reconcile the sometimes competing interests of fishing, tourism, leisure and farming which affect the coast. Among the issues to be looked at are soil conservation, landcare development, tourism, aquaculture and conservation.
“We will need to employ professional expertise to arrive at a workable and useful strategy to manage this wonderful part of Australia,” said David Lane, Chief Executive Officer at Streaky Bay. “Down the track we are hoping the Strategy will also provide some useful employment options.”
For further information contact David Lane, telephone (08) 8626 1001.
