SA Climate Ready Coasts
The SA Climate Ready Coasts program will improve the approach to coastal management and accelerate coastal hazard adaptation planning in South Australia.
The program is being delivered by the Local Government Association along with several partners: SA Coast Protection Board, Department for Environment and Water, Adelaide Coastal Councils Network and SA Coastal Councils Alliance.
On this page:
- Why coastal adaptation is needed
- Aims of the SA Climate Ready Coasts program
- Program stages
- About the program
- Get involved: coastal adaptation standards workshops
- Want to find out more?
Why coastal hazard adaptation is needed
Climate change is causing rising seas, stronger storms and more severe coastal hazards. This is increasingly putting people, homes, infrastructure, livelihoods and natural resources at risk.
Coastal management continues to be a challenge for local and state governments. This is because there are information gaps about coastal risks and limited capacity and expertise to effectively plan and manage complex coastal systems.
There is often also a lack of funding to undertake work.
Aims of the SA Climate Ready Coasts program
The SA Climate Ready Coasts program will deliver a series of connected projects and activities over three years.
The program will:
- coordinate consistent approaches to coastal hazard adaptation
- improve understanding of coastal risk
- increase capacity and knowledge of coastal hazard adaptation planning
- create evidence-based decisions and investments in the coast.
Program stages
The SA Climate Ready Coasts program will be delivered in three stages of work.
- Stage one (July 2023 to June 2024) will establish the program foundations. This will involve different projects to learn about the status of coastal hazard adaptation in South Australia and its future needs.
- Stage two (July 2024 to December 2025) will deliver projects, grants and activities which accelerate coastal hazard adaptation planning.
- Stage three (January to June 2026) will summarise key learnings from the program and outline future actions.
Download a copy of the SA Climate Ready Coasts program plan to find out more about each stage.
Stage one projects
Several foundational projects are being delivered as part of stage one.
- Coastal stakeholder engagement
- Research and benchmarking review
- Coastal Adaptation Planning Standards for SA
- Coastal data stocktake
- Monitoring buoys
- Coastal hazard data
These projects will help us build an understand of current experiences around coastal hazard adaptation and combine existing datasets to improve our learnings of current coastal issues.
Current projects in stage one
Standards, benchmarking and engagement
Program partners Hatch and URPS have been appointed to drive outcomes on three projects:
- Coastal stakeholder engagement
- Research and benchmarking review
- Coastal Hazard Adaptation Planning Standards for SA
These projects will help us gain valuable input into the program scope, understand how current coastal hazard adaptation practices in SA align with experiences elsewhere, and define agreed principles, methodologies and standards for coastal adaptation in South Australia.
Read more about the work completed as at March 2024:
- Progress Report March 2024 (PDF, 918.25 KB)
- Benchmarking Review (March 2024) (PDF, 2285.04 KB)
- Stakeholder Engagement Report (March 2024) (PDF, 651.59 KB)
The Project team is now developing the draft Coastal Hazard Adaptation Planning Standards to build on these learnings, with a further round of consultation to occur in mid 2024.
Coastal data stocktake
This project aims to consolidate our understanding of the coastal datasets to inform data improvement priorities, coastal hazard adaptation standards and local planning.
Edge Environments have been appointed to lead the coastal data stocktake. They engaged with users and custodians of coastal data in late 2023. Report outcomes are expected by April 2024.
Monitoring infrastructure
Monitoring buoys and tide gauges will be acquired and deployed along key spots on the coast. These new buoys will provide information about wave heights, direction and surface temperature, to help us better understand coastal hazards, especially erosion. The tide gauges are important in tracking long term changes in sea levels, as well as better understanding the impacts of storm events.
The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) are leading this project and have begun engaging with organisations who have an interest in coastal monitoring infrastructure. The new monitoring infrastructure is expected to be deployed in the second half of 2024.
Coastal hazard data
DEW are leading work to improve coastal hazard datasets that will help South Australian councils better plan along our coastlines. DEW currently maintain datasets relating to coastal flooding, sand drift and acid sulfate soils. Through this project, DEW will develop a new statewide coastal erosion hazard assessment.
DEW have developed a detailed plan for the delivery of the coastal erosion hazard assessment. Delivery will commence this year and continue into stage two of the Climate Ready Coasts, with a final delivery date of mid 2025.
About the program
How it is being delivered
This program is overseen by Executive Steering Committee. The Committee provides strategic leadership, decision making and relationship management for the program. It meets on a quarterly basis.
The Committee is supported by opt-in stakeholder forums and a hands-on Program Management Group.
The Program Management Group coordinates program delivery and operational decision making, and meets monthly.
Partners
The program is being led by the LGA in partnership with:
- SA Coast Protection Board
- Department for Environment and Water
- Adelaide Coastal Councils Network
- SA Coastal Councils Alliance
Funding
The SA Climate Ready Coasts program is funded by:
- Australian government: Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program
- State government: SA Coast Protection Board
- Local government: Local Government Research and Development Scheme.
Get involved
Stakeholder forums
Stakeholder forums will be held throughout the program delivery. These forums provide two-way communication between the program and key stakeholders to shape program scope and direction.
Participation in the stakeholder forums is open to anyone in local or state government.
To be added to the list for invites to future forums, please email ClimateReadyCoasts@lga.sa.gov.au.
Presentations from past stakeholder forums
Want to find out more?
For more information:
- Program Plan – March 2023 (PDF, 605.13 KB)
- Terms of Reference - Executive Steering Committee (PDF, 160.2 KB)
- Terms of Reference – Program Management Group (PDF, 181.02 KB)
- Presentation – SA Climate Ready Coasts Stakeholder Forum May 2023 (PDF, 2363.9 KB)
- Presentation - SA Climate Ready Coasts Stakeholder Forum September 2023 (PDF, 2011.18 KB)
- Presentation - SA Climate Ready Coasts Stakeholder Forum March 2024 (PDF, 2237.7 KB)
- Progress Report March 2024 (PDF, 918.25 KB)
- Benchmarking Review (March 2024) (PDF, 2285.04 KB)
- Stakeholder Engagement Report (March 2024) (PDF, 651.59 KB)
Get in touch with the team by emailing: ClimateReadyCoasts@lga.sa.gov.au