Coastal Management
 | Victoria has some 2 000 kilometres of coastline, ranging from sandy beaches to the rocky coastline along the Great Ocean Road. Its marine waters contain important representations of species endemic to the Southern Ocean and contain a diversity of habitats such as seagrass meadows, mud flats, intertidal and sub-tidal rocky reefs, mangrove kelp forests and pelagic systems. DSE is responsible for overseeing the management of the land and resources of Victoria's coastal public land and marine waters for their environmental, conservation and recreational values. Ninety six per cent of the coast is public land and state marine waters extend to 5.5 kilometres offshore. The Coasts and Marine section of the DSE website (external link) provides information on Marine National Parks and also incorporates the new Marine Map of Victoria - an interactive map providing information on the marine & coastal environment. |
The Victorian Coastal Council (VCC) (external link) is appointed by the State Government of Victoria in accordance with the Coastal Management Act 1995. Under the Act, the Council has the following functions:
- Undertake statewide strategic coastal planning
- Prepare and submit to the Minister a draft Victorian Coastal Strategy
- Provide advice to the Minister
- Facilitate the operation of Regional Coastal Boards
- Monitor the development of Coastal Action Plans
- Coordinate the implementation of the Victorian Coastal Strategy and Coastal Action Plans
- Prepare and publish guidelines for the planning and management of the coast
- Liaise with and encourage the cooperation of Government departments, public authorities, municipal councils, industry, community groups and persons and bodies involved in the planning, management and use of the coast in furthering the objectives of the Act
- Provide opportunities for the public and interested groups to be informed of and involved in the work of the Council
- Encourage the work of volunteers in using and conserving coastal resources
- Give consideration to the needs of Aborigines and other interested groups in relation to the coast.
Coastal Acid Sulfate Soils information on the Statewide VRO website.
Information about the Coastcare program - on the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Heritage website (external link). Additional information on Coastcare (external link) is also available on the Commonwealth Government's Natural Heritage website. To view the information PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link).
Information on the Australian Coastal Estuary Assessment 2000 - on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas website (external link).
Information on understanding estuary condition - on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas website (external link).
Information on understanding estuary processes - on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas website (external link).
Information on tools and information to support estuary management - on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas website (external link).
A wide range of coastal data can be accessed via MapShare (external link) in the form of an interactive map, using information from DPI/DSE. The Marine Map - Victoria section provides information on themes such as coastline classification, shorebird habitat, bathymetry, interim marine regionalisation, and biological habitat.
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2012.
This document was last reviewed on 25/05/2011