Delegates of the 15th Coast to Coast National Conference have formally endorsed Future Earth Australia’s Sustainable Oceans and Coasts National Strategy 2021–2030 and urged the Australian government to adopt and implement its recommendations.
The strategy provides a national implementation plan to ensure healthy Australian coasts and oceans for a just and environmentally sustainable future. Among the plan’s recommendations is a call for a national agency to coordinate ocean and coastal governance across all tiers of government. Other recommendations include to:
“The conference delegates were so supportive and enthusiastic about the strategy and its recommendations that they took the initiative themselves to endorse it,” said Emeritus Professor Nick Harvey, co-chair of the Expert Working Group of the strategy.
“Its call to create a national agency, support local grassroots actions, and empower Indigenous leadership has been received and amplified by the coastal community, and we urge the government to take action.”
Over 300 delegates attended the Coast to Coast Conference representing a diverse cross-section of leading marine and coastal experts, spanning government representatives, natural resource managers, community organisations, First Nations peoples, industry members, researchers and consultants. This biennial conference is organised by the Australian Coastal Society, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes knowledge sharing and action in national coastal management.
Future Earth Australia has convened leaders across expertise, sectors, and the nation to prepare the National Sustainable Oceans and Coasts Strategy 2021–2030 to advance the sustainability agenda and forge pathways to a thriving future. The strategy is a bottom-up, cross-sectoral plan that was developed through deep consultation across the country, with strategic oversight from an Expert Working Group composed of leading ocean and coastal researchers and practitioners. It provides a thoughtful and innovative way forward for our federal and state governments and other leaders across the nation, as well as a roadmap for implementing our vision for healthy oceans and coasts for a just and environmentally sustainable future.
Read the Sustainable oceans and coasts national strategy 2021–2030
Future Earth Australia
Future Earth is a global sustainability, research and innovation network. Future Earth Australia is the Australian and Oceania arm of Future Earth. It enables Australian researchers, governments, industry and NGOs to collaborate with each other and with international networks.
Media Enquiries
Nicholas Harvey, National Sustainable Oceans and Coasts Strategy Expert Working Group Co-Chair, nick.harvey@adelaide.edu.au, 0438358624
Tayanah O’Donnell, Future Earth Australia, tayanah.odonnell@science.org.au, 0490 472 687
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