Coastal and Ecosystem Resilience
Coastal and Ecosystem Resilience
In the face of escalating climate change threats, the resilience of our coastal communities, lands and ecosystems alike is paramount. Leveraging our unique research environment, diverse habitats and collaborative expertise, the OI is well-positioned to lead in sustainable coastal and ecosystem management, offering expert advice for global coastal resilience.
ABOUT COASTAL ECOSYSTEM AND RESILIENCE
Enhancing coastal resilience is complex and interdisciplinary. The southwest of Western Australia, a global biodiversity hotspot, faces severe challenges due to an increasingly hot and dry climate, impacting unique plant and animal species.
To bolster the resilience of both ecological systems and coastal communities against marine heatwaves, sea level rise, erosion, and flooding, it is crucial we develop transformative adaptation and mitigation strategies. This includes harnessing the capacity of coastal habitats like reefs, seagrasses and mangroves to protect coastlines from hazards using more sustainable nature-based solutions and promoting uptake into coastal engineering practice.
We must protect the coastal infrastructure that services our communities, taking care to minimises impacts on vulnerable populations, including First Nations communities.
The OI actively enhances predictive models for severe weather events, assesses sediment budgets, and equips industry and government with tools for monitoring marine environments. This multifaceted approach fortifies coastal and ecosystem resilience, ensuring a sustainable and secure future for our communities and environment.
Enhancing coastal resilience to climate change is complex and interdisciplinary. Urgent action is needed to protect communities, livelihoods, ecosystems and vulnerable populations, and action needs to be informed by a robust evidence-base.
