5. Conclusion

The report’s introduction addressed sea level rise and its effects, as well as the significance and effects it has had on Australian coasts including Byron Bay. In the Literature review, the report outlined the best methods that techniques might be applied for Byron Bay. Protective measures were examined in greater depth because Byron Shire has tried various protective strategies to manage the coastline and deal with the effects of sea level rise.

The report’s results section goes into detail on the existing policies and the effects they’ve had on people and the environment during and after major natural disasters on the coast. This demonstrates where and how the strategies failed. The discussions compared the existing strategies to the principles in the literature study and explained why the existing protective methods in Byron Bay failed and what principles must be met for a future solution to adapt to SLR and construct the Coastal Management plan for Sea level Rise. The adaptation policy alternatives given in this research are aimed at developing medium-term solutions that can successfully protect and be resilient to climate change-induced SLR in all aspects. In the Literature review, the protective solutions include hard protection, soft protection, temporary protection, and combined hard and soft protection.

In the past, Byron Shire tried hard protection using Groynes and interim protection through sandbags. Soft protection is a tough approach to implement because it is a beach with services and homes on site during high storm events. As a result, an integrated solution for the coastline is required.

Recommendation

Because soft shorelines cannot withstand harsher settings and very big storm surges, and hard protection can lead to more sand erosion and failure to sustain and grow natural ecosystems, additional methods of protection must be considered (Bennington-Castro, 2017). With regular maintenance, a novel option known as hybrid stabilisation can be considered a medium-term solution for 50 years.

When artificial structural elements are mixed with soft stabilisation approaches, hybrid stabilisation occurs. When compared to natural shoreline, hybrid buildings have a greater environmental impact. These hybrid buildings provide more ecological benefits than rigid protection and are useful in coastal areas with extensive development, such as Byron Bay. When soft shorelines are ineffective, these hybrid structures are prefered (Gianou, 2014).

Given the assets that exist around the coastal zone, it is vital to have a medium-term solution as well as a long-term solution of managed retreat when dealing with coastal zone management in Byron Bay. As a result, it is critical to develop a policy to deal with the immediate coastal hazards; however, it must be acknowledged that because SLR is a serious threat to the region, the coastline may have to be abandoned and may become impractical to protect over time; however, because the SLR benchmark is still 100 years away, the time is now to protect the coast and retreat from it when the threat becomes unmanageable.

Future Research and Limitations

A full study of Strategies for Byron Shire is required, notably through a cost benefit analysis for the region specific to the Byron Shire beaches. The protection strategies need to be detailed out and analysed for each section across Byron Shire and assess its impacts on the surrounds, the community and the environment.

Because some of the features are more scientific in nature, this report only covered the planning strategies with some design and infrastructure but did not handle it from an engineering standpoint.