Perspectives on building climate resilience via marine and coastal management from the governance frontline in Victoria, Australia

Coastal and marine management are facing one of the greatest threats to practical application and relevance ever due to the need for meaningful adaptation to the impacts from climate change. There is genuine long-term and large-scale change locked into our coastal systems regardless of the pace of emissions control. There are grave practical realities currently faced by coastal and marine managers and planners that will increase in the coming one to two decades. Recently, the State of Victoria in Australia reformed the coastal and marine governance structures, in part designed to prepare for impacts due to climate change. This provides an opportunity via a case study approach to review the current application of coastal governance to enable adaptation. This paper does so from a privileged vantage point - that of a crucial actor embedded in the legislative and governance structure the Chair of a Ministerial Advisory Council appointed to provide advice to decision-makers regarding coastal and marine planning and management in the jurisdiction. The paper takes a multi-disciplinary and reflexive approach and from a practitioner's perspective the paper tests the robustness of the governance system against three pointed challenges to implementing the system. The three challenges are 1/how to meaningfully collaborate with communities for transformational change; 2/are hard questions about adaptation being asked; and 3/ understanding what levers (e.g., policy, governance, societal) can be pulled to drive adaptation within the available time horizons. Drawing on frameworks from various disciplines, reflexive experience, and analysis of secondary data, this perspectives paper makes three conclusions: 1/that transformational change is needed which requires alignment in the perception of risk by different rights-holders and stakeholders; 2/that collaboration is required with an urgent focus needed to challenge current practices which likely do not enable decision-makers, and finally 3/that leadership is specifically required to tackle the hard questions about coastal adaptation (like to retreat or not). With a governance approach that shares elements (e.g., objectives, links to catchment management, planning tools) with other international jurisdictions in Europe and the Americas, there may be lessons learned from this maturing system that are applicable to other jurisdictions.

Automated summary

Coastal and marine management are facing a significant threat from climate change impacts, requiring meaningful adaptation. The State of Victoria in Australia has reformed its coastal and marine governance structures to prepare for these impacts. This paper examines the current coastal governance application through a case study approach, focusing on challenges faced by coastal managers and planners. The paper concludes that transformational change, collaboration, and leadership are needed for effective coastal adaptation.