The value of the coast

Weedy Seadragon - Victoria's state marine emblem.	A Newton

A clear understanding of the value of the coast and the tensions between the various values and the use of coastal resources is fundamental. This understanding provides a clear rationale for further development of information and planning and management tools to inform decisions on the coast.

Ecological values

Victoria's coast supports a diverse range of ecosystems along its 2,000 kilometre length. The south coast of Australia is the only major south-facing coastline in the world and has been isolated for approximately 65 million years. This isolation has meant many species have evolved that only exist in south-eastern and southern Australian waters. Reef systems, seagrass beds, towering kelp forests, sponge gardens, intertidal rock platforms and other habitats support the world's largest diversity of red and brown seaweeds, sea mosses, crabs, shrimps and sea squirts. Recent marine mapping has discovered previously unexplored seascapes and communities of organisms new to science.

Offshore islands are significant havens for birds such as penguins, shearwaters, Australasian gannets and orange-bellied parrots. Australian fur seals are found in large colonies along the coast and on many of Victoria's islands.

There are about 123 bays, inlets and estuaries - varying in water area from around one square kilometre to 2,000 square kilometres. Estuaries are important for fish spawning or as nursery grounds. Saltmarshes, mangroves and wetlands are important nesting and feeding grounds for a broad range of significant waterbirds and waders including migratory species.

Table 1: Examples of ecosystem goods and services	Ecosystems on the foreshore and hinterland vary greatly. Beaches large and small give way to dune systems. In the swales behind the dunes, woodlands commonly exist, with some small pockets of threatened coastal Moonah woodlands still surviving. In other parts, dry forests can be found down to the beach edge and coastal heath exists along cliffs and rocky coasts. The coastal ecosystems provide numerous intangible values to the Victorian community by offering environmental goods and services that are essential for human well-being. Some of these goods and services include biodiversity, water purification, climate regulation, nutrient cycling and the stabilization of shorelines, which often protects built infrastructure. These in turn support the maintenance of life, the pursuit of a variety of lifestyles, and the ability to undertake a range of commercial activities within the coastal area. Table 1 gives an overview of coastal ecosystems and the services they provide.
Adapted from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Synthesis (World Resources Institute' 2005).

Social and cultural values
The coast provides significant social and cultural values for Victorians. The coast's natural aesthetics, heritage, and the diverse range of recreational pursuits it provides make it attractive and valuable for residents, visitors and tourists. In Victoria, the coast is largely accessible and provides for a wide range of experiences from the bustling city beach to smaller seaside settlements and the remote, untouched wilderness areas.

Coastal heritage values play an important role in creating our sense of place and defining who we are. Coastal heritage comprises many different layers of history and meaning, from areas of natural significance to past and present Aboriginal traditions. Coastal heritage encompasses places created by early and recent settlers; and includes customs, celebrations and special characteristics that build community pride and enhance social cohesion.

Over the past decade our desire to experience and enjoy the coast has grown significantly. Bernard Salt in his landmark book The Big Shift: Welcome to the third Australian Culture (2003) asserts that a new and powerful culture, the 'culture of the beach' has emerged. This new culture is challenging the two well-established and dominant cultures of the bush and the city. The numbers tell the story. Eighty-five per cent of the country's population lives within 50 kilometres of our coast and a quarter live within three kilometres. Almost six million Australians live in coastal areas outside capital cities. In Victoria between 1996 and 2006 the annual growth rate of Victoria's coastal areas was 1.4 per cent compared with the state average of 1.2 per cent, and approximately nine out of ten Victorians visit the coast every year (IPSOS, 2007).

Salt argues this sea-change movement is driven by a fundamental shift in Australians' values, particularly related to leisure, entertainment, lifestyle and retirement, and enabled by new financial arrangements such as superannuation. Most Victorians living close to the coast visit regularly, largely to escape from the daily pressures to a clean, healthy, natural environment. Research has demonstrated that there is a strong and important link between the quality of the coastal environment and the quality of life for many Victorians. Access to healthy natural environments is good for mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Economic values
Commercial activities on the coast rely on and are supported by the natural asset-base of the Victorian coast. Coastal-dependent industries such as fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreational pursuits, ports shipping, and oil and gas extraction make a significant contribution to local and regional economies and the Victorian economy as a whole.

A study by consultants URS in 2007, Assessing the Value of the Coast to Victoria, identified some of the commercial and intrinsic economic contributions the coast makes to Victoria's economy each year. These findings are outlined below in summary.

In 2003, total employment within the tourism industry in coastal areas, not including Melbourne, was 13,250 people - contributing $908 million to Victoria's economy. The coastal tourism industry is growing at a much higher rate than Victoria as a whole. There has been an 18 per cent increase in tourism employment in coastal regions between 1997 and 2003, compared to nine per cent for the whole of Victoria (URS, 2007).

Commercial ports, shipping, commercial fishing, aquaculture and some renewable energy industries also rely directly on coastal assets. Together with coastal tourism, these industries contribute over $2.8 billion a year to the Victorian economy. If the petroleum industry is included, the total value is over $5.8 billion, and although most of the industry's raw resources are outside state waters, much of the handling, processing and refining operations are within the coastal area (URS, 2007).

The value of informal recreation such as walking, recreational fishing, sailing, and sightseeing has been estimated at more than $1.9 billion (URS, 2007). This shows how significant coastal ecosystem services are, and how protecting natural coastal ecosystems is crucial for their inherent value and their contribution to Victoria's economy.

"Getting away from it all" - Croajingalong National Park	CA/CC SNAPSHOTS					St Kilda Pier	IAN WALTON