The Cockburn Sound Coastal Alliance was formed in recognition that current and future climate change risks to coastal areas are a threat which is common to all coastal Local Governments and a collaborative effort to address these risks is potentially the most effective and efficient approach. This Alliance of local governments that includes the Cities of Cockburn, Fremantle, Rockingham and Kwinana and Perth Region NRM, working with key State Government stakeholders, commissioned a comprehensive study.

This presentation will share, from a local government perspective, the opportunities of an ‘alliance’ approach and will outline the lessons learned in identifying the vulnerability of Cockburn Sound and Owen Anchorage (CSOA) coastal zone in Western Australia to the effects of climate change. This staged approach included a coastal vulnerability assessment of metocean process/wave and sediment transfer behavior to inform the coastal erosion and inundation risk potential, based on various timeframes and sea level rise and storm event scenarios. Identification of the ‘value at risk’ of coastal assets (and the services and functions they provide) and the development of adaptation actions was also included. The challenges and importance of effective and meaningful engagement with the community will also be discussed.

The presentation will also provide insight into how this project addressed the evolving and upgraded policy position of the Western Australian Governments, State Coastal Planning Policy 2.6. In particular, how best-practice coastal hazard risk management and adaptation planning could be undertaken when there are few examples of previous studies of a similar nature being completed.