What is Coastcare?
Coastcare is community volunteers caring for their coast. Coastcare volunteers identify local environmental problems and work together to achieve practical solutions. There is currently 60,000 active Coastcare volunteers in 2,000 Coastcare groups all around the country.
Coastcare and landcare groups tackle problems like dune erosion, loss of native plants and animals, storm water pollution, weeds and control of human access to sensitive areas.
The Coastcare program provides opportunities for governments, community, business and interest groups to become actively involved in on ground works to protect and manage our coastal and marine environments.
Community groups interested in carrying out Coastcare activities can seek advice from their Regional NRM Boards about participating in regional coastal projects or seek funds for up to $50,000 from the Envirofund program to support local on ground projects.
There are 56 Natural Resource Management (NRM) Regions across Australia, 36 of which are along the coast. They manage regional natural resource management initiatives and support Coastcare groups in the area. Go to the National Coastcare Directory and contact your local Regional NRM Facilitator for more information.
For more information about the Natural Resource Management, a full list of NRMs and extensive information about government funded Coastcare projects, visit the Australian Government NRM website.
In some areas, coastcare projects are supported by the local council which can be contacted for further information.
How did it all start?
In the early 1990s, the Australian Government’s Resource Assessment Commission undertook an inquiry into the management and use of the resources of Australia's coastal zone. The inquiry was the most comprehensive investigation ever undertaken into the coastal zone. One of the recommendations of the Resource Assessment Commission was that a national coastal action program should be established that involved all governments, community and industry groups with responsibility for and interests in the management of coastal zone resources.
The initial Coastcare program was established by the Australian Government in 1995. In 1997 the Coastcare program was rolled into the Australian Governments’ Natural Heritage Trust Clean Sea Program.
While there were community groups undertaking environmental works along the coast before this, the term Coastcare and Coastcare groups started around the mid 1990s. Coastcare is, in many ways, an extension of the Landcare movement focusing on the coast.
Landcare Australia Ltd is the promotional and sponsorship marketing arm for the Coastcare group movement across Australia. In 2006, Landcare Australia generated over $7.5million in support for local Landcare and Coastcare projects, and close to $25 million in media advertisement value.