Douglas Shire Council Develops ‘Resilient Coast Strategic Plan’

A team of coastal scientists, engineers and economists have become the first in Queensland to finish a 10-year scientific strategy that will give Douglas Shire the tools to proactively manage and mitigate the impacts of coastal hazards.

“Douglas Shire Council used the highest level of technical analysis and feedback from locals to develop a draft Resilient Coast Strategic Plan,” according to an official council’s statement.

Commenting the news, Douglas Shire Mayor, Julia Leu, said that the plan provides more certainty for a region already dealing with the impacts of erosion and storm tide inundation.

“This strategy equips us with the knowledge to proactively plan for future coastline impacts,” Leu said. “Coastlines are dynamic, ever-changing with each tide and storm.”

“Erosion and storm tide events are natural processes that shape the coast over long time frames, however, these events become coastal hazards when they impact on our Douglas communities.”

The State Government and Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) provided funding under the QCoast 2100 program to enable Queensland coastal councils to develop a strategic approach to managing coastal hazards.

Coastal hazard specialists at Alluivium Consulting Australia led the team, which included weather risk management specialists Jeremy Benn Pacific (JBP) and Natural Capital Economics, to support Council to deliver the strategic plan.