Coastal care community groups

Coastcare is an important component of the Report on the Review of the National Landcare Program Initiative. It is a popular grassroots movement that encourages community participation in the management, protection and rehabilitation of Australia’s coastal and marine environments 1. Coastcare groups, consisting mainly of volunteers, are involved in:

  • monitoring beaches and coastal flora and fauna;
  • protecting and rehabilitating dunes, estuaries and coastal wetlands;
  • developing and implementing management plans at local scales; and
  • providing training and education activities that increase community knowledge and awareness of coastal issues 1.

Indicators

Coastal care community group indicators (Indicator 7.4) suggested for State of the Environment reporting for Coasts and Oceans (formerly Estuaries and the Sea) include:

  • the number of Coastcare (and allied) groups;
  • the number of people involved;
  • the geographical area of coverage; and
  • the dollars spent annually.

More information

More information on coastal care community group indicators (e.g. monitoring design and strategies, reporting scales and outputs) can be found in the Estuaries and the Sea volume of Environmental Indicators for National State of the Environment Reporting 1.

References
  1. Ward, T., Butler, E. and Hill, B. 1998. Environmental Indicators for National State of the Environment Reporting, Estuaries and the Sea, Commonwealth of Australia, pp. 81