Coast, Estuaries and the Sea
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IntroductionState of the Environment Part 14 Coasts, Estuaries and the Sea Coast, Estuaries and the Sea 427 | State of the Environment Report - Victoria 2008 Introduction Key Findings • Coastal settlements will be increasingly vulnerable to damaging weather due to climate change. Modelling shows that storm • The Victorian coast is an environment with naturally high surges of up to 2.3 metres above sea level could be expected diversity that is also subject to intensive human use. It features by 2070. Victoria must be prepared for these. landscapes, plants and animals that are highly valued by Victorians, and as a result it is subject to significant human- • Victoria’s marine and coastal biodiversity, already threatened induced pressures. by a range of development and industry pressures, faces significant challenges as a result of climate change. Effects • The coast is highly modified. This is characterised by removal have already been observed and include alteration of breeding of vegetation and a decline in estuarine condition, especially in patterns and reduced distribution, including commercially closed embayments and close to large settlements. However, important species. in many cases the current rate and extent of modification is not well monitored. • For several coastal and marine issues, data collection programs and levels of scientific understanding are • The coast continues to be a popular place to live and to visit, inadequate for comprehensive environmental assessments. with a coastal population growth rate of almost 1.4% - faster This is particularly the case for coastal vegetation and marine than the State average. This has resulted in the urbanisation of biodiversity. 16.5% of Victoria’s total coastline by 2004. • What we do on land affects the sea: Water quality is inversely related to land use intensity in the adjacent catchment. As a result, water quality in Port Phillip Bay, Western Port and the Gippsland Lakes is likely to be poorer than in the open ocean, 4 which is characterised by high levels of mixing and flushing, Coasts, Estuaries and the Sea and is further removed from high intensity land use. • Reduced water quality has a negative impact on both human use of the marine environment, and marine biodiversity. However, in many cases (e.g. extent of seagrass), inadequate baseline data makes it very difficult to determine the scale and significance of the effects. • Human use of marine species can change marine ecology. Certain species of fin fish have been historically over- harvested, and this has had repercussions on the structure of marine ecosystems. An example of this is the removal of 4.4 top predators, leading to the formation of urchin barrens, a degraded form of marine habitat. • Prevention is better than cure: introduced species are a constant threat to Victorian marine systems. There are now 161 introduced species in Port Phillip Bay, considered to be one of the most invaded marine ecosystems in the southern hemisphere, and these are changing its ecosystems. In the vast majority of cases, preventing the incursion of marine pests is cheaper than attempting to remove them once established. • The establishment of marine parks and reserves that cover more than 11.7% of Victorian waters is a progressive step in the protection of Victoria’s marine biodiversity. However, because of the interactions between coasts and the oceans, our marine biodiversity continues to be subject to exogenous pressures. • As part of an interconnected global system, climate change applies ongoing pressure to Victoria’s coastal and marine environments. For example, the projected increase in ocean acidity will have fundamental consequences for marine ecosystems and the industries that rely on them. | 428 State of the Environment Part 4 Coasts, Estuaries and the Sea Victorian coastal and marine assets Despite the value of the coastal Objectives environment and the significance of • To protect and enhance the The southern coast of Australia is one of the processes impacting upon it, our environmental, social, economic and the most significant south-facing sections knowledge and understanding, especially cultural values of Victoria’s coastal and of coast in the southern hemisphere in regard to marine environments, is less marine environment. and contributes to the unique status developed than for terrestrial areas. The of Victoria’s coastal and marine flora effects of pressures such as urbanisation • To improve and integrate the planning and fauna. Ninety to ninety-five percent on coastal biodiversity are clear. Generally, and management of Victoria’s coastal of species in most taxonomic groups however, information about the coast zone with the areas and factors occurring in southern waters occur is far more extensive where it relates to influencing it. nowhere else on earth1. The Victorian industry, demographics, and tourism. For • To provide for the sustainable use and coast contains approximately 120 bays, example, data on the condition of coastal development of coastal and marine inlets and estuaries2, ranging in water land and water resources is not gathered resources. area from 1 km2 to 2,000 km2. The in a comprehensive manner, making character of the Victorian coastline ranges assessment of the condition of coastal • To prevent disturbance of acid sulfate from dynamic and continually eroding and marine systems difficult. soils along the Victorian coast. landforms as a result of exposure to wind While predominantly focusing on the • To improve knowledge and and waves from the Southern Ocean, to natural coastal environment, it is the understanding of the coastal and gentle beaches and quiet inlets. combination of environmental, social and marine environment and factors The range of climatic, geological economic values attributable to the coast influencing it. and oceanographic regimes and the and adjacent marine systems that make Overall condition interaction of terrestrial, estuarine and this region of Victoria worthy of a section While 96% of the Victorian coast is in marine ecosystems combine to ensure of this Report in its own right. that this relatively compact and accessible public ownership, and mostly protected Despite its linearity, it is often difficult to environment is amongst the richest and in parks and reserves, much of it has exactly define ‘the coast’ due to its large most diverse in Australia. The coastal been impacted by the human pressures area and the number of processes that environment is the interface between of population growth, tourism and have an influence on it. As a result, a catchments, rivers and the sea; the urbanisation. Most Victorian estuaries number of different terms are used to condition of coasts and estuaries can have been modified to some extent, with describe particular parts of the natural reflect the condition and management of only a few remaining in near-pristine environment that come together to form the whole catchment3. condition, and it is likely that the condition the coast, including: of coastal vegetation has been degraded Victorian residents and visitors clearly • The marine environment: the near shore significantly. While significant progress value the State’s coastal environment. environment, the seabed and marine has been made in improving planning for It was the location of the first European waters out to the State limit of 5.5 km6. growth and development along the coast, settlements in Victoria and also contains these pressures are predicted to increase thousands of Indigenous cultural heritage • The foreshore: coastal Crown land in the future. The effects of climate 4 places . The ongoing presence of 200m from the high water mark. change, particularly increased storm Indigenous communities along the coast • Coastal hinterland: public and private surges in the short term and permanent is testament to a long association with the land next to and within critical views of sea level rise in the longer term, will also area. A significant and growing proportion the foreshore and near-shore marine have a significant impact on coastal of the Victorian population now lives within environment. form, coastal vegetation and the built the coastal zone, which attracts 70 million environment. visits each year by Victorians alone - more • Coastal catchments: up to the top of than any other recreational area in the catchments that drain directly to the State5. ocean. Great economic value is associated Some sections of this part of the Report with the State’s coastal environment. It focus on specific parts of the coast, contributes to Victoria’s economy through according to the nature of the issue being natural resource industries such as discussed. In general, however, references fishing, oil and gas extraction, and through to the coast are intended to include all activities that prosper from operating in a parts listed above, including the marine specifically coastal environment, such as environment. tourism, ports and trade activity. Some of the increasing stresses on the coast are due to these industrial and population pressures. Other stressors are due to exogenous factors such as nutrient inputs from catchments, the introduction of marine pests and, most significantly, climate change. 429 | State of the Environment Report - Victoria 2008 Compared to many other marine The anthropogenic conversion of coastal fishing is likely to be responsible for environments around the world, water land to intensive uses places pressures altered trophic relationships, although as quality