4. Discussion

4.1 Sea Level Rise in Byron Shire

Throughout Australia, particularly the east coast, sea levels will continue to rise into the twentyfirst century. Byron Bay is at great risk of coastal erosion and floods as a result of SLR. Some sections of Byron have already experienced significant coastal erosion, such as Mainbeach and Belongil Beaches. Since 1988, the shoreline at Belongil Beach in Byron Shire has receded by 1.1-0.3 meters. These frequent occurrences will destroy the coast and make replenishment difficult. These consequences are exacerbated by rising sea levels (Byron Shire Council 2021). Some of these effects are as follows:

• Coastal erosion, shoreline retreat, and inundation

• Public safety at risk

• Infrastructure and utilities will be damaged

• Impact on tourism and recreational activities

• Damage to property

Byron Shire Council’s earlier approach of planned retreat did not account for the immediate effects of SLR. The latter strategies of protection through groynes, rock walls, and sandbags did not work as well as expected, as evidenced by the results, particularly when compared to the principles in the theoretical framework or the similar objectives set by the council for adaptative measures in the Coastal Management plan.

4.2 Reduces Environmental Damage

The existing approaches of rock walls and sand bags have not safeguarded the coastal ecosystem; in fact, storm surges have washed away sand and ruined the cover that was placed over the rocks to allow habitats to live and growas seen in Figure 10. Further it has caused an increased amount of sand erosion, not able to stabalise the sand. It is also vital to consider working with natural changes rather than working against nature in order to protect the coastal habitat (ABC North Coast, 2016). Soft shoreline protection measures provide ecological benefits, such as essential habitat, that promote coastal resilience by stabilising and minimising erosion (NOAA, 2020). Instead of destroying or opposing nature, this promotes it to grow stronger.

4.3 Can Withstand External Forces

The shoreline that will be affected by SLR includes more than 60 buildings and a railway line, thus protection that can endure external natural risks and forces is required to protect these structures (Carley, et al., 2016). To survive external factors such as hurricanes, the defensive approach must be adequately maintained. The rock wall built in Byron Bay in 2015 was completely destroyed in 2016 owing to high tides. Within a year, the rock had failed. It had no effect on sand erosion. The rock wall was damaged by this high tide, as the stones became loosened and washed up on the shore. This creates a dangerous environment. This demonstrates that the rock wall will be unable to endure abrupt extreme events on the coast line, such as storms (ABC North Coast, 2016).