Coastal adaptation is more than responding to environmental change. It is ensuring a connection to the coast through the choices we make as individuals, communities, and ocean users. Having healthy coasts into the future depend on people who understand their value, respect their limits, and act to protect them – through everyday decisions, volunteering, advocacy, or supporting organisations that care for coastal environments. By getting involved, people can help safeguard coastal ecosystems, support local knowledge, and ensure coasts remain places of cultural, ecological, and community wellbeing.
Coastal community societies and networks
Community organisations play a pivotal role in the supporting the coastal zone— some for decades—through their capacity to mobilize local resources, knowledge, and networks. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
The Australasian Coastal Restoration Network is a platform to connect those specialists, experts, researchers, practitioners and managers so that they can collaborate, share knowledge and ideas, and seeks answers and solutions to challenges.
Members include marine and coastal restoration professionals, from academia, local and state government, commonwealth organisations, NGOs, consultancy, and industry.
Dedicated to healthy coastal ecosystems, vibrant coastal communities and sustainable use of coastal resources.
Members are a national network of coastal stakeholders (professionals, practitioners, coastal and/or First Nations communities) committed to coastal protection and ongoing stewardship.
The Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network is an informal independent network for people and organisations concerned about mangrove and saltmarsh tidal wetland habitats around Australia and Australasia generally.
Network members include professional researchers, managers, industry officers and environmental consultants, as well as community enthusiasts.
A national charity dedicated solely to protecting our precious ocean wildlife – a community of ocean lovers across the nation working for healthy seas.
Supports a community volunteer network of groups and individuals made up of Australians who care passionately about the protection and management of our coastal and marine environments.
Mission: to protect and restore fish habitat and support recreational fishers in these actions.
OzFish brings people and science together – engaging volunteer members and local communities, as well as working with partner organisations at a state and national level, to support our projects.
Mission: to empower ocean action, developing long-term initiatives that benefit the sea and the people who rely on it for survival.
Care of WA’s oceans and coastlines.