Research Project
Researchers: Emma Flukes (Point of contact) , Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (Associated with)
Full description This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project 3.7 – Identifying and overcoming barriers to coastal and marine habitat restoration and Nature based Solutions in Australia. No data outputs are planned for this project.
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There is an increasing need for coastal and marine restoration around Australia to help address habitat and biodiversity loss, water quality decline, invasive species impacts, and coastal inundation and erosion; and to identify blue carbon opportunities. However, broader uptake of restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia is constrained by policy and legislative barriers, limited adoption within engineering practice, and insufficient inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in project design and delivery.
This project examined barriers and opportunities for scaling marine and coastal restoration and nature-based solutions across three themes: (1) regulatory and permitting pathways; (2) engineering sector adoption, and (3) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design. The approach built on earlier work through Marine and Coastal Hub Project 1.6 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/1-6/) which identified a clear need for coordinated, landscape-scale restoration and greater support for nature-based approaches.
Research reviews of approval and permitting processes were conducted in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia, with a focus on oyster reef restoration and tidal reintroduction for wetland restoration. Consultation was undertaken with Commonwealth and state agencies, the national Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystems Task Force, restoration practitioners, non-government organisations, engineering and environmental consultancies, and Indigenous groups involved in restoration activities.
Workshop and consultation findings were translated into practical guidance and framework materials for governments, practitioners and restoration proponents. These outputs provide a basis for clearer approval pathways, greater confidence in nature-based solutions within coastal engineering, and more inclusive restoration planning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Outputs
• Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia [project summary - written]
• A blueprint for overcoming barriers to the use of nature-based coastal protection in Australia [written]
• Legislative permitting processes for restoration [written]
• Pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design in restoration [written]
Lineage Maintenance and Update Frequency: asNeeded
Notes
Credit
This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy & Water (DCCEEW) through the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub. In addition to NESP (DCCEEW) funding, this project is matched by an equivalent amount of in-kind support and co-investment from project partners and collaborators.
Notes
Purpose
To build a framework for the pathway to restoration activities, including identifying and planning strategies to overcome barriers.
Data time period: 2023-01-10 to 2023-12-31
Waltham NJ, Saunders MI, Morris R, Bell-James J, Bishop MJ, Bugnot AB, Connell S, Drew G, Fischer M, Glamore W, Jones A, McAfee D, McCormack PC, Mayer-Pinto M, Prahalad V, Shumway N, Swearer S, Wawryk A (2024). Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature based solutions in Australia – Project summary. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. James Cook University. (Technical Report)
Morris RL, Pomeroy AWM, Boxshall A, Dack, D, Dunlop A, Townsend M, Swearer SE (2024). Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia - A blueprint for overcoming barriers to the use of nature-based coastal protection in Australia. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Tasmania. (Technical Report)
Bell-James J, McCormack P, Shumway N, Wawryk A (2024). Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature based solutions in Australia – Legislative permitting processes for restoration. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Tasmania. (Technical Report)
Saunders MI, Fischer M, Vozzo ML, Chewying K, Malcom F, Liddell B, Cooley R, Cassady J, Bugnot AB, Waltham N (2024). Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia – Pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design in restoration. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Tasmania. (Technical Report)
Bell-James, J., McCormack, P., Shumway, N. and Wawryk, A. (2026), Opportunities for targeted, small-scale law reform in marine and coastal restoration. Restor Ecol e70147. (Associated Publication)
doi :
https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.70147
Morris RL, Pomeroy AWM, Boxshall A, Colleter G, Dack D, Dunlop AR, Hanslow D, King S, Magini A, O’Malley-Jones K, Sultmann S, Townsend M, Valesini F, White J, Zavadil E and Swearer SE (2024) A blueprint for overcoming barriers to the use of nature-based coastal protection in Australia. Front. Environ. Sci. 12:1435833. (Associated Publication)
doi :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1435833
Bell-James, J., Foster, R., & Shumway, N. (2023). The permitting process for marine and coastal restoration: A barrier to achieving global restoration targets?Conservation Science and Practice, 5(12), e13050. (Associated Publication)
doi :
https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13050
(Project page on NESP Marine and Coastal Hub website)
url :
https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-7/
(Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: NESP MaC Hub website)
url :
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/science-research/nesp/hub-marine-coastal
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