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Objective

Recommendation

Key issues

What has been achieved 1998-2003

Tasmania Together

Related Issue Reports

Objective

To improve awareness of, and responses to, the vulnerability of coastal settlements and infrastructure to impacts arising from climate change.

Recommendation

It is recommended that:

• the vulnerability of coastal settlements and infrastructure in the Tasmanian coastal zone is assessed and mapped;
   
• in order to assist in understanding and predicting coastal impacts, attention is directed to improving the resolution of The Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) core land information data, such as contour heights in susceptible coastal areas;
   
• coastal vulnerability to climate change, including adaptation principles, are included as priorities within the State Coastal Policy;
   
• coastal vulnerability is included as a schedule for planning schemes in local government areas with potentially vulnerable coastlines; and
   
• the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment initiate an information and awareness program.
   

Key issues

It is now widely accepted within the scientific community that global climate change is occurring and that over the last 100 years there have been a number of measurable changes to the climate of the planet. These changes will affect Tasmanian coastal areas and consequently coastal communities, including existing infrastructure and investment, in the next few decades (IPCC 2001). Informed decisions can help to avoid many of the costs that would otherwise be incurred if development continued to take place in vulnerable coastal locations. Development should be guided by well-informed planning schemes that guide development toward less susceptible areas.

Further information is contained in the Adapting Coastal Settlements to Climate Change Issue Report. Some of the key points include the following:

• Some 975 km (approximately 15%) of the coastline contains low-lying erodible shorelines potentially at risk of recession and flooding. A further 1,147 km (18%) contains low-lying shores mainly at risk of increased coastal flooding. A length of 2,156 km (33%) of the coast has not been assessed for likely climate change impacts.
   
• Trying to protect sandy coastal environments from rises in the sea level is very expensive and prone to failure if not built to the highest standards. Ad hoc measures can often cause erosion problems elsewhere if not developed as part of an integrated regional works strategy.
   
• While there is currently sufficient information to avoid development on the most vulnerable coastal areas in Tasmania, particularly development on foreshore dunes on sandy coastlines, there is a lack of detailed modelling and collection of high-resolution spatial data to measure shoreline changes over time. Without adequate information, new developments in vulnerable areas may be placed in the line of harm.
   
• Research has been proposed, which will help monitor the physical changes to Tasmania's coastline, in order to compare these actual changes with the changes anticipated from models. In Queensland and New South Wales, for example, research has been undertaken into the historic changes of coastline in those areas that contain considerable urban development. This research enables the pattern of coastal erosion to be identified, and also provides a baseline to monitor future changes with a high degree of accuracy. It has also revealed the extent of impact of some major storm events.
   
• These studies will assist in projecting the location, rate and extent of future erosion and the risk to existing and future development. Processes have been developed to map contours of risk of erosion and then link them to development controls. These maps clearly identify, to current and future landowners, the level of risk to their investment, development, or infrastructure. They will also assist government in selecting adaptation strategies for local areas, and prioritising major investments in beach protection and other measures.
   

What has been achieved 1998-2003

There have been relatively few responses in Tasmania over the last five years to adapting to forecast climate change impacts. However, research and monitoring capability is improving, particularly through coastal research at the University of Tasmania, and some administrative frameworks have been established. The core land information data of The LIST will have a key role in understanding and modelling climate impacts on coasts. Other initiatives include the following.

• Projects are being developed that investigate the local and regional changes that might be experienced under climate change scenarios, including the possible impacts of those changes to various sectors and infrastructure (eg. areas vulnerable to storm surges, sea-level rises and associated events).
   
• Work is being carried out by the State Emergency Service, in association with Councils, to identify emergency risk management requirements caused by current natural and other hazards. Although this work is not in a position to adequately deal with climate change impacts, as the regional information is not yet available, it does provide a risk-based model for dealing with vulnerability from climate change.
   
• The CSIRO, Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania have a number of researchers who are seeking to understand the coastal and climatic processes that currently operate in Tasmania. This information can be used to more accurately project the impacts and identify vulnerable areas within Tasmania.
   
• Improvements in digital mapping data will improve capability to identify vulnerable areas at risk from the effects of climate change around the State. Some of the essential data that are available include elevation through the digital elevation model, (a core dataset of The LIST) and coastal geomorphology.
   
• Data are available from the Bureau of Meteorology on extreme weather events-the extent and impacts of resultant storm surges-and on coastal flooding and erosion. This historic information can then be compared to current weather records and then used to predict likely effects of future climate change.
   

Tasmania Together

Relevant Tasmania Together goals and standards for 'Coastal, Estuarine and Marine' are listed in the linked file. The Tasmania Together Progress Board reported on progress toward targets for benchmarks set (Tasmania Together Progress Board 2003). Indicators, targets and baseline data are available in the latest Progress Report June 2003. Further information, including progress report updates, is available from Tasmania Together.

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